Virtual academy only for high school students next year

SILOAM SPRINGS — The Siloam Springs Virtual Academy will be available for high school students only after this school year.

The change came about because the Arkansas LEARNS Act, signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on March 8, favors face-to-face instruction as opposed to remote learning.

Superintendent Jody Wiggins said during the Feb. 8 School Board meeting he had been waiting on word from the state about the continuation of the virtual academy for the next school year.

“There is a definite message in the act from our secretary of education and from our governor that in-person learning is superior to online instruction,” Wiggins said.

State officials want schools to focus on in-person learning, Wiggins said. That is why there were no alternative method of instruction days this year, he said.

The district’s digital learning plans created the virtual academy, which taught students online during the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the LEARNS Act, the district’s digital learning plans will expire at the end of the 2023-24 school year, Wiggins said.

“We have been told at the beginning of the year that we would not have approval for any virtual academy,” he said.

Shortly before Christmas, district officials realized the last submission of the high school’s converting charter four years ago had included virtual classes, Wiggins said.

While kindergarten through eighth grade have to be taught in person, grades 9-12 will allow for virtual instruction, Wiggins said.

One of Wiggins’ goals was to create a virtual academy for the district, he said. The break-even point was going to be around 125 to 150 kids to make it financially sustainable, Wiggins said.

According to a report Wiggins presented to the School Board, 67 students attend the virtual academy. The report projects that based on those numbers, 44 students in grades 9-12 will attend the virtual academy. Of the 44, eight currently come to campus to attend some classes, the report states.

“It is financially a little tough,” Wiggins said. “And with the number of staff we have currently, it makes it not efficient at all.”

Almost all of the virtual academy staff of seven is being paid through covid relief funds, but those funds must be completely spent by September, the report states.

Given the financial aspect as well as LEARNS Act regulations, Wiggins proposed to scale back and offer virtual classes at the high school only. The board approved the plan unanimously.

Teachers in the virtual academy will be dispersed out to classrooms, Wiggins said. Some have already moved.