The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools - Funding and Amendment of Certificates for Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School and for TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School
At the meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) on November 28, 2017, I shared details of my proposal to increase the per pupil tuition rate for both Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools (CMVS) currently operating.1 The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) provided background information on the two virtual schools in Massachusetts, the Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS) and the TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School (TECCA). Board members heard public comment from the superintendents of each CMVS on why their current tuition rates are not adequate to serve the needs of the students they enroll. At the Board meeting scheduled for December 19, 2017, I recommend that the Board vote to amend the certificates of GCVS and of TECCA to specify a tuition rate of $8,265 per pupil, effective for FY19, with $75 per pupil retained by the Department for program administration. I further recommend that the Board delegate to the Commissioner authority to adjust this rate annually for inflation for the remainder of the schools' current certificates, and amend their certificates accordingly.2
We have reviewed this recommendation with the Digital Learning Advisory Council (DLAC);3 the Operational Services Division in the Executive Office for Administration and Finance;4 and other stakeholder groups. Kenneth Klau, Director of our Office of Digital Learning, and Cliff Chuang, Senior Associate Commissioner, will join us for the discussion.
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1 Virtual Schools: Funding and Other Policy Issues
2 Virtual schools currently receive a per pupil tuition amount of $6,700, less $75 per pupil retained by the Department for program administration ($6,625).
3 The virtual schools legislation in 2013 created DLAC to advise the Board and the Commissioner on "matters related to virtual education" including, but not limited to, "recommendations for best practices to encourage online education to complement classroom instruction in district schools and recommendations on the appropriateness of the fee that the department may retain for the administration of the virtual school program." Chapter 379 of the Acts of 2012, § 7.
4 Consultation with OSD is required by statute. G.L. c. 71, § 94(k); 603 CMR 52.07(1).