Charles City School District looking into permanent virtual learning academy

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City School District is seriously considering offering a School-To-You program to students who want it on a permanent basis.

“There is going to continue to be a need for non-traditional and innovative learning opportunities,” Charles City Superintendent of Schools Mike Fisher told the Charles City School Board of Directors on Monday. “We’re seeing more and more students who are wanting at-home, virtual or blended options.”

Still in its planning stages, the district wants to offer students what he called an academy, that offers another kind of alternative learning in Charles City, such as the home-school assistance program or the Carrie Lane alternative school.

Fisher said the academy would be its own school, with its own staff, teachers and administrators.

“This school would have its own independent staff of individuals who are specifically trained to teach remotely,” Fisher said. “It’s really hard for our teachers to teach in the classroom and then teach digital. It puts too much of a burden on them, it’s asking them to do more than double the work.”

School-To-You is a state-mandated online learning option that will be available for the entire school year, deemed necessary as an option because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The state asked us to offer this, and at Charles City, we don’t do things half-way. We do it as best as we can,” Fisher said. “We wanted to have the best experience possible for our kids.”

Fisher said there are things the district needs to keep doing, things the district needs to stop doing, and things the district needs to start doing with the School-To You program.

Fisher said that many school districts are offering online academies and other alternative learning opportunities. He compared it to a small business that offers both in-store and online goods and services.

He said that the way it’s been done this year, however, has put too much pressure on teachers and other staff members, to teach both online and in-person.

“We had to do it this way this year, but we know it’s not sustainable,” Fisher said.

David Voves, Charles City’s School-To-You coordinator, said that 278 was the highest number of students who chose online learning this year, and currently 159 students are still using the program.

Fisher said that securing funding is one of the biggest steps, as well as assuring the current staff that the stress of teaching both in the classroom and online will be alleviated by this. He said he expects the recent COVID relief stimulus package passed in Washington D.C., signed into law by President Biden on Thursday, will allot the district a good amount of funding to get the program going.

Voves heads a strategic planning committee which includes teachers, administrators, students and parents that has met twice in the last two weeks and has been breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of School-To You.

He said the idea is to merge School-To-You with Carrie Lane and with the home school assistance program.

“That would really help the educational foundation of many of our students,” Voves said. “It’s a way to let students create their own learning path.”

“We see a great opportunity to accelerate all of these programs, maybe all under one roof,” Fisher added. “This would be a chance for more people to get the Charles City experience.”

Voves said that there are more and more families and students who are interested in attending classes off-campus. He said that some other schools in northeast Iowa have already created “virtual campuses.”

Voves said the School-To-You program in Charles City is serving a third grader whose family moved to Chicago, but she still gets her education from Charles City. Another elementary student, who lives in Omaha, is planning on moving with her family to Charles City in the spring, and she began her education in Charles City virtually at the start of the school year.

Voves said there is also a high school student who shares homes between her parents, one in Charles City and one in Wisconsin, and she can continue her education in Charles City while she is with her parent in Wisconsin.

“We can use this program to continue to drive our enrollment numbers up as well as meet the needs of our families,” Voves said.