New bill aims to put 3-year moratorium on digital schools

A recent amendment to House Bill 494 is aiming to establish a three-year moratorium on virtual schools in Illinois. The amendment was introduced by state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, who represents one of the districts that would under the charter.

In a blog post a few weeks ago, I wrote about a new multidistrict virtual school that could be coming to the Fox River Valley.

Run by Virtual Learning Solutions – a nonprofit organization based in Illinois – the virtual charter school would operate across 18 districts, making it by far the most expansive virtual school in the state.

There are multiple reasons to support this school:

• It allows students from different geographic areas to have access to high-quality teachers – this is especially true in the Fox River Valley where students may have access to only one teacher in a particular subject.

• It allows students to learn at their own pace – students can view lectures and complete their assignments when they want.

• It allows for customized education, where students get personal schedules to target their problem areas.

• It improves teacher productivity – instead of teaching 20 to 30 students, online teachers can teach many more students without reducing quality.

• It is cheaper – in most states, virtual schools receive two-thirds to three-quarters of the money spent per student in districts.

Unfortunately, a recent amendment to House Bill 494 is aiming to establish a three-year moratorium on virtual schools in Illinois. The amendment was introduced by state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, who represents one of the districts that would under the charter.

It looks like the amendment was specifically introduced to prevent the Fox River Valley charter school from obtaining a charter either from the districts or the state charter commission.

The Illinois Policy Institute calls on Rep. Chapa LaVia to withdraw her amendment and let the process work itself out. There is no need for the state to prematurely rule out a virtual charter school, especially in an area of the state that could benefit immensely from it.