Teachers Union Sues to Stop Online Program Used by Homeschoolers

Pioneer Press ^ | 10/10/03

[truthandlife]

The state teachers union went to court Thursday to shut down an online education program popular with hundreds of home-schooling families.

Education Minnesota argues that state officials erred when they certified Minnesota Virtual Academy to receive public funding because the school relies mainly on parents to deliver the instruction while state law requires that licensed teachers do the teaching.

“Is it public education or are we funding home schooling?’’ asked Education President Judy Schaubach. “Parents can make a choice to home school their children. But what we are talking about is what is the definition of public education.’’

State education officials said Minnesota Virtual Academy meets the requirements of state law, which says a Minnesota licensed teacher must “assemble and deliver” the on-line learning product.

“We believe the school has been properly certified,’’ said Department of Education spokesman Bill Walsh. The agency was reviewing the civil lawsuit Thursday.

Minnesota Virtual Academy is a partnership between the small southeastern Minnesota school district of Houston and K12 Inc., a Virginia-based company founded by former U.S. Education Secretary and best-selling author William Bennett. The school opened last fall with about 150 students and 280 this fall, serving kindergarten through seventh grade.

In Wisconsin, the state’s largest teachers union filed a similar lawsuit. Such conflicts are part of the growing pains associated with the increasing acceptance of online learning, said Dennis Pierce, managing editor of eSchool News, which tracks national technology trends in education.

“The concerns and criticisms whether virtual education is a viable alternative seem to be lessening. But there are still questions that remain and the No. 1 question is funding,’’ said Pierce. “These are the kinds of issues states are now grappling with.’’

In the Minnesota lawsuit, two school districts — Hopkins and Burnsville-Eagan-Savage — joined Education Minnesota as plaintiffs in the case filed in Ramsey County District Court saying their online programs have been hurt because of the funding Houston receives for its program.

The programs in Hopkins and Burnsville differ from Houston’s. Teachers in Hopkins interact with students regularly through e-mail exchanges and chat rooms. Some classes have actual real-time lectures with the teacher interacting with students through text and voice technology.

At the Minnesota Virtual Academy, parents receive education materials from the academy through the mail and online. The school’s Web site says that “responsible adults (usually parents) guide students through their daily coursework.’’ Students at the school must take state tests. The 10 academy teachers are available to respond to parent inquiries.

“Education Minnesota is diminishing the work of teachers who are employed by Minnesota Virtual Academy,’’ said Houston superintendent Kim Ross. “It fails to recognize our licensed teachers and the quality of service they provide.’’

Schools with state-approved online programs receive the same state funding for online classrooms as their bricks-and-mortar peers. The Legislature also set aside $2.25 million for the current two-year budget cycle to pay for new students that weren’t previously enrolled in a public school program including home schoolers and private school students.

Minnesota Virtual Academy has qualified for the bulk of that funding but still sent out more than 600 rejections to parents of students who previously were not enrolled in a public school because the money appropriated for online learning for new public school students was not enough to meet the demand.

State Department of Education officials said it was the Legislature’s intent to fund programs like Minnesota Virtual Academy that rely on parents or another adult to help the student through the curriculum. At least one lawmaker who sits on the Senate Education Committee agreed.

“If you have distance learning you have to have some freedom at one end,’’ said Sen. Gen Olson, R-Minnetrista. “To require teachers at both ends is clearly not the intent of distance learning or the legislation.’’

[ImaGraftedBranch]

The NEA can NEVER claim to have the best interests of the children at mind. NEVER.

Homeschool bump.

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[solzhenitsyn]

This sort of program could potentially deliver an awful lot of bang for the taxpayer's buck. All the more reason for the teachers' unions to fight it tooth and nail.

[Kuksool]

***Is it public education or are we funding home schooling?’’ asked Education President Judy Schaubach. “Parents can make a choice to home school their children.***

Hey Judy Schaubach here's an concept, how about getting the gov't out of homeschooling? No gov't funding and no restrictions on homeschooling.

This is a predicatable move by the NEA. The union thinks it is entitled to as much gov't money as possible. If there is something the NEA can't control, it will then attempt to destroy it. The similarities between the NEA and the Mafia are striking.

[Quix]

ARROGANT, SELF-SERVING, GREEDY, POWER MONGERS.

SHEESH.

Flush em out of public life, please, Lord!

[dawn53]

We have a similar program in Florida.

I don't see it as government interference in homeschooling, because the truth is homeschoolers aren't eligible for the program. It is, in fact, just another method of public education.

The child must be just entering school (kindergarten or grade one) or be a student that is already enrolled in a public school. A student that is already being homeschooled cannot participate in the program.

Because of the "class size amendment" passed in the last election, class sizes must be minimized.

It's an alternative that will help the state cut down on the number of teachers needed and the number of classrooms needed.

No parent is forced into the program, it is voluntary.

The NEA is threatened because they are afraid the test scores of those at home under online instruction will be higher than the test scores of those "under their control."

[Luke Skyfreeper]

The state teachers union went to court Thursday to shut down an online education program popular with hundreds of home-schooling families.

All in the interest of better serving the educational needs of our children, I'm sure.

[ladylib]

They're also afraid that they'll lose teaching positions.

Would the teachers be happier if these kids really decided to homeschool and leave the public schools completely, which would remove oodles of money from the system? At least with the kids in the program, the public schools receive money for them.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

“Is it public education or are we funding home schooling?’’ asked Education President Judy Schaubach. “Parents can make a choice to home school their children. But what we are talking about is what is the definition of public education.’’

What we are talking about is tax dollars being distributed as services to the people who actually paid those tax dollars, not to union thugs.

[ladylib]

They're like the Mafia all right. Brett Schundler, who ran for governor in NJ several years ago, tried to set up a corporate scholarship program. Either Coke or Pepsi (I forget which one) decided to sign on.

Guess what happened? Teachers unions goons destroyed soda machines. That was the end of the scholarship program.

[Publius6961]

“Is it public education or are we funding home schooling?’’ asked Education President Judy Schaubach. “Parents can make a choice to home school their children. But what we are talking about is what is the definition of public education.’’

What's new?
The incompetent always hide behind the "union" thing and run to gummint for the muscle.

They hate competition.

[Kuksool]

***Teachers unions goons destroyed soda machines.***

No doubt they did it for the children./SARCASM

Yesterday, a teacher's strike ended in a Northwest Chicago suburb. The NEA operatives carried signs saying "We support your kids, please support us". There were even some school kids marching with them. A prime example of child exploitation.

[Hank Kerchief]

“It fails to recognize our licensed teachers and the quality of service they provide.’’

No doubt this program is because they did recognize the liscensed teachers and the quality of the service they provided.

Hank

[RonDog]

Minnesota Virtual Academy is a partnership between the small southeastern Minnesota school district of Houston and K12 Inc., a Virginia-based company founded by former U.S. Education Secretary and best-selling author William Bennett.

The school opened last fall with about 150 students and 280 this fall, serving kindergarten through seventh grade.

See also:

www.mnva.org

[reg45]

Yesterday, a teacher's strike ended in a Northwest Chicago suburb.

One thing that I noted. The strike ended the day after the school district cut off the strikers' health and medical insurance benefits.

[reg45]

What we are talking about is tax dollars being distributed as services to the people who actually paid those tax dollars, not to union thugs.

I have a fair compromise. The state can stop funding this program and "homeschoolers" will be exempted from paying taxes for public schools.

[bd476]

Thanks for the Ping!

[patriot_wes]

"the school relies mainly on parents to deliver the instruction while state law requires that licensed teachers do the teaching."

more lies, parents are legally able to teach their own children in every state.

[Ben Chad]

The NEA is threatened because they are afraid the test scores of those at home under online instruction will be higher than the test scores of those "under their control."

So what are the statistics here? Anyone? I'm under the impression that home schoolers test significantly higher than public schoolers.

[dawn53]

I homeschooled for many years. I really never cared if my son tested higher than public school kids. I never investigated what public school kids test scores were. I was more concerned with his mastery of the subjects he was studying.

He's enrolled full time in our local college this year and he's 15. He passed the College Entrance Exam, so I guess he was doing okay.

[dawn53]

Sorry, I hit the post button but hadn't finished my thought.

My point is that it's the public school system that is obsessed with scores and tests. Most homeschoolers would prefer not to test their kids on a regular basis with standardized tests.

Some states require standardized tests for homeschoolers at the end of every year and homeschooling parents oblige. But it's not the determining factor of the success or lack of success of a homeschooled child.

[EGPWS]

This sort of program could potentially deliver an awful lot of bang for the taxpayer's buck. All the more reason for the teachers' unions to fight it tooth and nail.

And they will! (for the children of course /sarcasm)

[Madame Dufarge]

"The point was perfectly illustrated by American Federation of Teachers president Albert Shanker's quip, "I'll start representing kids when kids start paying union dues."

The Enemy

[EGPWS]

The state can stop funding this program and "homeschoolers" will be exempted from paying taxes for public schools.

Now you know THAT won't happen!

I am single, have no "personal" involvement in public education, and I still pay through the nose to support it through property taxes, which have skyrocketed because of school referendums every year.

To boot, I get a letter in the mail asking for "my personal donation" to help the children in the school!

Anymore, I am getting a pretty good idea where the moola is going and it isn't to the betterment of "the childrens" education!

[Tribune7]

They are suing to stop education. It's for the children.

[Timesink]

To boot, I get a letter in the mail asking for "my personal donation" to help the children in the school!

Mail it back with a check for 1¢. Depending on how wasteful and corrupt they are, it'll cost them anywhere from 50¢ to $2 to process it.

[EGPWS]

Mail it back with a check for 1¢. Depending on how wasteful and corrupt they are, it'll cost them anywhere from 50¢ to $2 to process it.

Food for thought however I, personally, don't see any effective promotion in doing such a thing, after all it IS more money spent in doing so.(a penny saved is a penny invested)I do see effective promotion in supporting Tim Pawlenty as Governor and his keen sense of "fiscal spending" which has been VERY effective here in MN to the point of the educational "politically motivated" powers to turn to archaic means to maintain financial support for their machine.

The liberal directive being wasteful and corrupt?? Gees, how many scenario's are the people of this country going to have to experience before it is realized that this is the case with their agenda?

[Hostage]

Bravo to you. I'm sure many here would have liked to have had a parent like you. Your child is indeed fortunate.

[reg45]

The state can stop funding this program and "homeschoolers" will be exempted from paying taxes for public schools.

Now you know THAT won't happen!

Of course not. I was talking about a fair compromise. Who ever said that unions believe in fairness!

[SLB]

Mrs SLB has a sister in Minnesota who teaches in the publik school system. She thought the state, Kentucky, sent us the $$$$ that the schools are "loosing" since we home school. The lady is dumber than a brick when it comes to unerstanding the home school laws.

[EGPWS]

Now you know THAT won't happen!

Of course not. I was talking about a fair compromise.

Now you know THAT won't happen!

[SLB]

BTTT