Real Cost per Student for Virtual Schools as Opposed to Brick and Mortar (Traditional) Schools Oklahoma House of Representatives Interim Study, 19-089 September 11, 2019
Oklahoma Virtual Charter School Funding • Initial State Aid allocation at 1.333 per student enrollment on August 1 • Revised State Aid allocation based on the First Quarter Statistical Report (FQSR) to include current Average Daily Membership (A.D.M) and student/formula weights resulting in mid-term funding adjustments • Receive state and federal funds, but no local revenue or bonding capacity
Differences in Financial Management of Virtual Schools and Other Types of Schools • Personnel • Technology • Online Products and Services • School Operations • Management • Funding
Virtual Education Funding Considerations “Quality online learning is cost effective – Real costs include expert teachers, curriculum development, licensing, computers, course delivery and data systems, plus special services and physical materials.” iNACOL
Virtual Education Funding Considerations Five Broad Categories of Online Program Costs: • Management • Instruction • Course Development • Technology Set-up • Technology Personnel Costs and Funding of Virtual Schools Augenblick, Palaich & Associates
Virtual Education Funding Considerations “The operating costs of online programs are about the same as the operating costs of a regular brick and mortar school.” “…the cost of the full -time online school is between 93% and 98% of traditional school costs” Promising Practices: Funding and Policy Frameworks for K-12 Online Learning iNACOL
Virtual Education Considerations Typical Online School Total Per-Pupil Expenditure $6,500. • Teachers 26% • Curriculum 20% • Technology 24% • Community Outreach 6% • Facility 3% • Administration 15% • Board/Sponsor 6% iNACOL
Virtual Education Funding Considerations “Independent, national studies suggest virtual school funding should be about the same as those of a regular brick-and- mortar school. Based on a national average, costs for full- time virtual schools ranged from $7,200 to $8,300 per pupil (Augenblick, Palaich and Associates). Savings compared to $10,000 per pupil national average for K- 12 education.” iNACOL
Virtual Education Funding Considerations Florida Tax Watch concluded FLVS “a bargain for FL taxpayers” citing due to savings in school construction and transportation costs.
Virtual Education Funding Considerations 2008 Wisconsin Legislature • Audit Bureau audit showed that “overall the state’s virtual charter school costs were reasonable and the funding they received were in line with their costs.” • Per pupil revenue at the time was $6,500.
Virtual Education Funding Considerations “In 22 out of 27 states (82%) online charter schools are funded on par with brick and mortar schools… In states where online charter schools are funded at lower rates, their funding levels ranged between 70 percent and 90 percent of charter school funding rates.” Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE)
Virtual Education Funding Considerations Creating Sound Policy for Digital Learning Develop funding formulas to reflect actual costs for virtual schools and virtual programs. National Education Policy Center (NEPC)
Other State Funding Models • Arkansas – FY19 per pupil funding for all students was $6,899. Brick and mortar schools receive additional funding. • Arizona – Per pupil funding for brick and mortar ranges between $5,000 and $6,000. Per pupil funding for full-time online is 95% of that amount. • Colorado – FY20 Brick and mortar - $8,476. FY20 Virtual Charter School - $7,788. • Michigan – Brick and mortar and virtual schools have same funding model. • Ohio – FY20 per pupil funding for all students is $6,020. Brick and mortar receive $250 per pupil facility funding.
Oklahoma Virtual Charter Schools • Epic One-on-One Charter School • Insight School of Oklahoma • Oklahoma Connections Academy • Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy • E-School Virtual Charter Academy
Virtual Charter School History FY2015 • Virtual Charter School Enrollment (A.D.M.) 7,102 • Virtual Charter School Foundational State Aid $34,068,024.51 FY2019 • Virtual Charter School Enrollment (FQSR A.D.M.) 17,639 • Virtual Charter School Foundational State Aid $96,772,475.00
School Enrollment Patterns EPIC One-on-One CHARTER SCHOOL - Average Daily Membership (ADM) 14,000.00 NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED 12,000.00 10,000.00 8,000.00 6,000.00 4,000.00 2,000.00 0.00 FY 2019 FY 2018 FY 2017 FY 2016 FY 2015 FY 2014 FY 2013 FY 2012 1st 9 weeks 13,159.00 7,820.00 8,556.00 5,759.00 4,128.00 2,804.00 2,178.00 1,514.00 End of Year 13,847.00 8,230.00 8,302.00 5,631.00 3,907.00 2,519.00 1,885.00 1,518.00
School Enrollment Patterns INSIGHT SCHOOL OF OKLAHOMA - Average Daily Membership (ADM) 700 600 NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED 500 400 300 200 100 0 FY 2019 FY 2018 FY 2017 FY 2016 FY 2015 1st 9 weeks 615 361 373 308 209 End of Year 586 351 338 274 216
School Enrollment Patterns OKLAHOMA CONNECTIONS ACADEMY - Average Daily Membership (ADM) 1,400 1,200 NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 FY 2019 FY 2018 FY 2017 FY 2016 FY 2015 1st 9 weeks 1,226 1,319 1,206 1,052 942 End of Year 1,192 1,267 1,165 1,008 971
School Enrollment Patterns OKLAHOMA VIRTUAL CHARTER ACADEMY - Average Daily Membership (ADM) 3,000 2,500 NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 FY 2019 FY 2018 FY 2017 FY 2016 FY 2015 FY 2014 FY 2013 FY 2012 1st 9 weeks 2,639 2,140 2,352 2,268 2,335 2,571 2,266 480 End of Year 2,539 2,044 2,035 2,036 2,008 2,251 2,142 822
Per Pupil Revenue 2018 State Per Pupil Revenue $8,176.89 • Epic One-On-One Charter School $6,380.66 • Insight School of Oklahoma $5,122.01 • Oklahoma Connections Academy $5,773.55 • Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy $5,158.91
"Having access to school choice options isn't a luxury for parents who opt into the charter system: It's a necessity. No parent chooses to take their son or daughter out of public school because it's the "easy" thing to do. We're there because of serious health challenges, bullying or simply because a traditional public school has failed our student. Every year, Oklahoma’s charter schools are forced to do more with less, as they are funded at significantly lower levels than traditional public schools - a situation which tacitly labels those children in non-traditional public schools as "worth less." Even still, the schools succeed in giving parents choice in how to educate their children, and that's a blessing. Oklahoma has trusted parents to choose and it must continue to do so in the future .“ Colleen Cook President National Coalition for Public School Options
Rebecca L. Wilkinson, Ed.D. 2500 N. Lincoln Blvd., Suite 4-37 405.522.0717 rebecca.wilkinson@svcsb.ok.gov
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