Lehto also provided information on this past year’s summer school. Based on the number of hours attended, this converted to the equivalent of 65 additional students that would be used various state aid calculation formulas. This had been a record high for attendance at the summer school program.

In the Administrator’s Report, the final official September enrollment figures showed a total enrollment of 1866. This was an approximate increase of about 30 students from the same time last year. This was a positive trend since there was a drop of enrollment for each of the last few years.

Open enrollment figures were also presented. These showed that 116 students were open enrolling out of the district. Of that number, nine students were attending on-line virtual schools. On the other hand, the 121 students had open enrolled into the district, which was a positive gain. This continued the trend of many years, although this past year that had not been the case.

For the rest of the article, go to Oconto Falls School Board meeting

Computer-based courses

Schools also are using computer-based courses to provide instruction to students anytime, anywhere. There is, however, a difference between computer-based courses and virtual schools. In computer-based courses, the computer provides all of the instruction and assessment. The student progresses at his/her own rate and can only continue when a certain level of proficiency is demonstrated. The benefit to the student is that learning can take place when and where they are ready.

Virtual schools/courses incorporate the use of the Internet in a variety of ways. Typically, there is an actual teacher who is providing assignments and assessments through the use of email. When the student completes the work or the assessment, he emails his work back to the teacher for grading. Students of virtual schools may have hardbound books or use e-books. Each school is different.

While Two Rivers High School provides many of these opportunities, we recognize the changing needs of our student population and will be adding a virtual school option in the very near future.

For the rest of  the article, go to TR Schools: The face of education keeps on changing

That’s not surprising when you consider WEAC’s reaction to any substantive education reform. Take for example the union’s opposition to Wisconsin’s online public charter schools, commonly referred to as “virtual schools.” Public school teachers that are actually part of the union teach classes in these schools online. WEAC opposed allowing the charter schools to educate students outside their districts and actually went to court to stop it.

It took an act of the legislature keep the schools open after the lawsuit, and then only after WEAC ally Governor Jim Doyle insisted on a cap on enrollment. Until the cap was lifted recently by the legislature, many parents attempting to take advantage of this educational alternative would find their children put on waiting lists with their educational futures unknown.

Bell claims WEAC, “has been a voice alongside superintendents, school boards, parents and other concerned citizens to shine the light on the need for a better way to fund our schools.”

Notice what Bell did not say. She did not say that their “better way” was always, always, always to ask for more money from the state’s overburdened taxpayers. Bell also didn’t mention how WEAC opposed the limits created by former Governor Tommy Thompson that were placed on school districts in the areas of taxing and teacher compensation to keep property taxes in state from skyrocketing further.

Nor does Bell mention ACT 10, passed by the Republican legislature and signed into law by Governor Scott Walker. Already ACT 10 has allowed school districts across the state to save millions in teachers’ benefits costs. With the recent state budget imposing revenue caps on school districts, taxpayers across the state are seeing the benefits of the savings while school districts are benefiting from the ACT 10 savings offsetting cuts in state aid.

For the rest of the article, go to Defensive WEAC Chief Has Selective Memory