The muscular growth of Florida Virtual School, the nation’s largest provider of online classes, has suddenly become anemic. And the culprit seems to be legislative changes made this spring to the state’s funding formula for education.

Over the last five years, the highly regarded FLVS has seen a 24 percent annual growth in the number of course requests approved by guidance counselors at the end of the school year, according to FLVS figures.

Last year, the number grew at a robust 34 percent, from 150,578 approvals to 201,066. Course approvals are still up this year, but by only 1 percent.

FLVS officials are predicting at least a $34 million hit because of the legislative change, which may have unintentionally pitted the provider against school districts still reeling from the Great Recession. But the bigger problem may be that thousands of students are not getting classes that work best for them.

Evidence continues to surface that districts are denying students access to FLVS courses and/or pushing them toward other providers. A published report suggested a similar effort was underway at a leading charter school network.

“Denied choice is not just about the dollars,’’ said FLVS spokeswoman Tania Clow. “Ultimately, the one who suffers is the student.’’

In response to the sagging numbers, FLVS has instituted a hiring freeze, except in critical areas. And Julie Young, Florida Virtual’s president and CEO, is set to meet with Education Commissioner Tony Bennett next week to talk about the fallout. (more…)

Charter schools. Parents at Rowlett Elementary, a magnet in Manatee, say their calculations show a charter school conversion will bring in more money for fine arts programs. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Virtual schools. Florida Virtual School holds its first ever graduation for full-time students, reports the Seminole Chronicle. Lee County's virtual school, the Lee Virtual Instruction Program, gets a  Bronze ranking from U.S. News & World Report's high school rating system, reports Fort Myers Beach Talk.

School technology. Foundations may need to help school districts shift into higher gear. StateImpact Florida.

Common Core. Crazy claim of the week: involves Glenn Beck, Common Core and eyeball scanners in Polk County. Oh, mercy. EdFly Blog.

Retiring teachers. A final farewell. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Graduating seniors. A Pinellas teen with cancer finds the strength to walk with her class. Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

When Naman Thackar tried to sign up recently for an Advanced Placement science class through Florida Virtual School, he said his guidance counselor told him he couldn’t.

Instead, the Broward County ninth-grader was instructed to take the class through the school district’s virtual program. But when he tried to sign up, the course was full.

And when he contacted his guidance counselor, she said there was nothing she could do about it, said Naman’s father, Bharat Thackar. “Apparently, there were some budget cuts and she was told not to sign up kids to Florida Virtual.’’

Naman eventually got the class he wanted, but only after his father contacted Florida Virtual School and wrangled with district leaders.

More students may encounter the same battle this summer.

Lawmakers likely will approve a new funding formula this week that will leave districts with fewer state dollars when their students take courses through Florida Virtual School, the nation’s largest provider of online classes. The result, say FLVS officials, is some students are being told they can’t sign up for the program.

FLVS officials said they have heard it’s happening from students, parents and even guidance counselors from across the state. So has the Florida Department of Education.

“We did hear districts were telling students they could not sign up for the FLVS summer courses,’’ department spokeswoman Cheryl Etters confirmed. “We don’t know how many districts, but believe it is fairly widespread.’’

The trend is the result of a proposed funding shift that could pit districts against FLVS. (more…)

Florida Virtual School officials say Florida school districts are already beginning to curb student enrollment in online classes in response to a funding shift proposed by state lawmakers.

Under the change – which continues to be debated as lawmakers head into the final week of the session - districts would get less funding if their students take Florida Virtual School courses. Florida Virtual School officials say they’re already seeing a spike in guidance counselors denying student requests for FLVS courses this summer.

In the past, counselors usually denied requests for academic reasons, such as students not completing prerequisite courses. But now they aren’t signing off because of funding concerns, Florida Virtual School officials said.

“We knew that this would happen,’’ said Holly Sagues, FLVS’s chief policy officer. “The entire session, we were telling legislators that it’s going to pit the district against Florida Virtual School.’’

It’s too early to tell how widespread the trend is, but FLVS already has heard from students, parents and guidance counselors in at least five districts, Sagues said.

Sen. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, who introduced the new funding formula in House Bill 5101, could not be reached for comment. The bill has since been amended to Senate Bill 1502, where it is now being negotiated as part of the Legislature's education budget conference.

If the measure passes, it would cut 14 percent to 17 percent from what FLVS receives for every class a student takes in the program, Sagues said. The estimated total loss: about $34 million. The program already receives between 10 percent and 20 percent less in per-student funding than traditional public schools, she said.

Here’s how funding for FLVS and the districts works now: when students take six courses in their district school and one through Florida Virtual, the district receives its full per-student allotment for that student and FLVS receives another one-sixth of the funding – but only if the student completes the course.

If the new funding forming goes into effect, it would cap it so that the district receives six-sevenths of its allotment and FLVS receives one-seventh. (more…)