Virtual High Schools

Enrollment in North Carolina's virtual high school has surged from 8,800 last spring to more than 15,000 this fall. And administrators of the N.C. Virtual Public School, which allows students to take classes online, expect to enroll 20,000 students in spring classes. The idea behind online school is that students can learn anywhere they have a computer connection, including from home. Online courses have strengthened the offerings for students at small high schools, said Deborah Woodruff, Johnston County schools' executive director of innovation and school improvement. Advocates in the education world call distance learning the wave of the future, giving increasingly tech-savvy students the chance to take classes at their convenience.

But budget questions linger about this new wave -- specifically, how the state will pay for it. The courses are free for districts. "We have all we can handle," said Bryan Setser, executive director of N.C. Virtual Public School and Learn and Earn Online. "The key now is to think about the future, how we grow smartly." This year's budget of $5.7 million has not kept up with enrollment increases, and online teachers, who are paid per student, received less money this year. The school can also take up to $6 million out of a state fund for school technology. The legislature has asked the State Board of Education to suggest a way to pay for online instruction. The board has considered different proposals, including charging local districts tuition. The board hasn't given an answer. If it doesn't come up with a suggestion by a Dec. 15 deadline, the legislature has ordered the state controller to cut off the board's money.(THE NEWS & OBSERVER, 10/14/09).