Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Districts would have no say over online course providers, just have to pay

Members of the Senate Education Committee hear about the changes in state Supt. Tom Luna's school reform bills on Monday. (Betsy Russell)
Members of the Senate Education Committee hear about the changes in state Supt. Tom Luna's school reform bills on Monday. (Betsy Russell)

Under the Luna school reform plan, school districts would designate which online courses their students would be required to take, but couldn't specify from which provider the students take the class, Luna aide Jason Hancock told the Senate Education Committee. "They can certainly suggest, they can try to steer their students toward a particular vendor, maybe one they have a contract with," he said. But they can't require it. "If the parents aren't happy with that, or they don't think it's a good enough course or it's not high-enough quality, then they can go elsewhere with that," Hancock said. Also, students could take additional online classes beyond those required, and the school district would have to pay for them, as long as they're accredited and meet state content standards.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

Follow Betsy online: