Schools to refund online tuition

Spokane Public Schools will refund more than $24,000 in tuition to about 108 students enrolled this year in its online program.

As a cost-saving measure last year, students taking more than six classes each day were told they would have to pay $250 a semester for any additional courses taken at Spokane Virtual Learning.

District officials decided this week to reverse the decision, agreeing to refund any money paid so far.

“My concern has been equity: our mission is really to serve all students,” said Sharon Johnston, director of Spokane’s online program.

Faced with a $10.8 million shortfall this year district officials decided that any student who would be taking an online class beyond the six periods allowed during the school day would be required to pay the fee.

The district also began cutting online classes with fewer than 15 students enrolled, for savings of about $200,000.

Johnston said that after the decision was made to start charging, more than 140 students who were already enrolled to take an online class dropped the courses.

“So many said they just couldn’t afford it,” Johnston said.

Superintendent Nancy Stowell said there was also was an issue with collecting the funds.

“We don’t seem to have an infrastructure set up to track students who are taking more than six periods; each high school collected the money … there just weren’t enough checks and balances set up to do that,” Stowell said.

The virtual program is not a moneymaker for the district, costing about $650,000 annually.

But demand continues to grow for the online classes. More than 400 students are enrolled this year – up from 300 last year.

According to the North American Council for Online Learning, more than a million students – including those in private schools and home-schooled students – are enrolled at “virtual schools” across the country.

Spokane’s program is unique in that teachers write and teach the curriculum, while most school districts buy the curriculum from for-profit groups.

While most of the students are from within the district, about 56 attend schools outside Spokane. Those students will still pay tuition of $350 per semester.

Many students say the courses help them with electives – especially those needed for college admission – they are unable to take because their schedules are already full of required courses.

Marin Hatcher, a Lewis and Clark High School senior, is taking AP Spanish online as a seventh period, to fit in three years of foreign language.

“It’s not required but it’s required to get into almost any college,” said Hatcher, 17. “A lot of my friends have had a hard time fitting foreign language into their schedule.”