Tom Vander Ark: Smart Online Strategy Beats Dumb Cuts

The Washington state Senate is threatening 10% cuts to reimbursement rates for online learning, the House 20%.
Budget cutting is an understandable reality this year, but this provision is odd because the state won’t save any money. If online options aren’t available, kids will just go back to more expensive brick and mortar schools. The cuts may close a handful of online schools and that may drive some families back to unaffiliated home education—potentially a few million dollars, but certainly not worth the price of reducing learning options for all Washington students.
Some folks think online schools should get less money because they don’t have buildings or buses—but they already operate at a 25% savings to Washington’s traditional schools. Without charter schools, online learning providers in Washington contract with local districts, and they typically don’t receive any local levy funding.
Click here to read more on what's going on in Washington state and how a smart online strategy can beat dumb budget cuts.