Christina Martin: Oregon Showdown OverAnti-Virtual Charter School Bill is at Hand

It started this morning. The Oregon House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education will hold a public hearing for a bill that essentially would force Oregon’s virtual charter schools to close.
The bill (SB 927) closely resembles an idea that the OEA (Oregon Education Association, a union) proposed last year to the Oregon State Board of Education. The bill in its current form would:
*Force all existing virtual charter schools to close and to reopen as alternative schools, which in Oregon are generally only for at-risk students.
*Make existing districts the creators and providers of online content, managed by a consortium called the Oregon Option Consortium. Individual districts would be able to purchase courses from the consortium (which would be run by the Oregon Virtual School District).
*Each student could enroll in the consortium’s classes only if a district-appointed advisory team decides the classes are suitable for the student.
Click here to read more about this anti-virtual charter school bill and what you can do to help defeat it.