TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s highly-successful online school is battling proposed cutbacks at a time when state legislators are bragging about boosting money for schools by more than $1 billion.
Supporters of the Florida Virtual School, including U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Winter Garden, warn the cuts could affect the quality of operations at the school, which offers courses to nearly 150,000. By one estimate, the legislative changes could result in a 14 percent funding reduction.
Webster, who championed the creation and expansion of the school when he was a state legislator, said Florida Virtual School has already endured additional cuts in the last few years when Florida was mired in the recession.
“Although the cuts currently being considered for Florida Virtual School may appear insignificant on their own, when coupled with the recent reductions over the past several years, they will reach a magnitude that will have a large impact on the quality and effectiveness of the virtual school program,” Webster said.
Florida Virtual School, which grew out of a pilot project, now offers more than 120 courses free to students who live in Florida. One of its students was Aly Raisman, a member of the successful U.S team in gymnastics. The school employs more than 1,000 teachers.
Lawmakers are looking at a complicated change in funding that would cut how much the school receives for teaching individual courses.
Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami and House budget chairman, defends the change because he says Florida Virtual School is now getting a financial advantage over other school districts because of the current funding formula.
