THE HEAT IS ON: Things are a bit stormy for virtual schools in the Sunshine State and others, as recently noted by Education Week. Florida Virtual Schools (FVS) announced significant layoffs and K12 Inc. finds itself in the hot seat over poor test scores in Tennessee and Kansas.
FVS is laying off 177 full-time and 625 part-time staff, which comes as a result of both declining enrollment (down 32%) and funding. New rules set by the Florida legislature, which cap the money that virtual schools can get for students who attend online schools for only a few classes, has cost FVS $17.6 million in state revenue (a 12.4% drop from last year).
As for K12 Inc., poor test scores has led state officials in Tennessee to be hesitant to approve another one of the company’s virtual schools, and others in Kansas to publicly raise concerns.
