Virtual school to provide access to online courses

Curt Fuchs, Missouri’s new director of virtual education, said taking classes online isn’t for every student.

“You have to be a self-motivated student to take these classes,” said Fuchs, former director of information technology for the Columbia Public School District.

Starting next July, the new Missouri virtual school will allow students in all 524 school districts to access classes via the Internet. Fuchs said the program will target students with access difficulties, particularly those in rural areas or smaller school districts that don’t have certain electives and advanced placement classes available.

However, the program, part of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will be available to all students, including home-schoolers and private-school students.

First, $2.6 million in state appropriations will have to be approved for the virtual school by the Missouri legislature.

“It’s part of the political process,” Fuchs said. “The amount is not guaranteed.”

But he said indications are that the funding will be available based on support received by the legislature in the past year.

“We will hopefully have everything in place next July,” Fuchs said. Pending approval of state funds, an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 students are expected to be accommodated by the 2007-08 school year.

The program is not designed to replace public-school education but is meant to supplement and enhance K-12 education, Fuchs said.

“The class can be taken at any place, any time and any pace,” he said.

The program’s curriculum and classes are based on the statewide Grade Level Expectations for Missouri’s school districts. Classes must be taught by certified teachers.

Fuchs, who was recently named to head the virtual school, is being paid $51,186 annually, said Jim Morris, spokesman for the Education Department.

To prepare and plan ahead for the program, Fuchs has looked closely at similar programs in other states, visiting and talking with educators and school officials in Colorado, Georgia, Michigan and Iowa. Currently, there are 24 states with established virtual school programs, primarily in grades six through 12, Fuchs said. Other states are in the development stage.

“I hope to talk with as many of them as possible,” he said.