2/17

So I read an article the other day in the local paper about online schooling. The article was not about collegiate online classes or colleges but it was talking about the possibility of utilizing online courses as a way to help the school districts, especially those that are struggling financially. The reason some schools are struggling is because other some residents opt to for their children to attend a better school. While not permitted in all districts, this requires the resident to pay a tuition fee to the school district to which they chose to send their child. With this said I understand the reason people do this. This was something that my husband and I looked into for our child but it’s not permitted where we live. I can't fault anyone for wanting to give their child the best education, especially if they are willing to pay for it.

            Now I also see the other side to this argument as well. While people are willing to pay for education in a better school (district) they are essentially taking money away from their local district in which they reside. This can lead to financial hardships when that funding and money is going somewhere else.
            With this new potential proposal, some school districts are looking at the possibility of offering online schooling. This might allow students who struggle in the classroom, the article mentioned kids on the autism spectrum, and more the opportunity to learn in way better suited to their needs. I did not see much good in this article other than offering it as an option for those kids who may struggle for various reasons such as the ones previous mentioned; however often times these same types of kids need structure and I don’t know how much of that they will get with online classes. It depends on how the courses are set up I suppose. If it’s like a live feed from the classroom, they will have a similar structure/schedule as they would on campus. If it’s more a college type set up, I see too many kids not doing well for failure to manage their time properly.
            Another issue that this online schooling presents is the finances. I don’t know the logistics of it but the article mentions that there is concern for how this will impact the school districts financially. It did not mention whether or not there would be any fees for this schooling option so I don’t know how it is supposed to help. Will this effect teachers’ pay? A lot of things are still uncertain and this was just an idea being proposed. If you ask me, parents are going to want the best education for their children and those that have the means and ability will go the extra mile to make sure that happens, regardless of what school district they happen to live in.