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| Virtual Academy May Be Shut Down |
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January 14, 2008
Kenosha News
Virtual academy may be shut down
Teachers’ union sues; Supreme Court decision to come by summer
BY GARY J. KUNICH kenoshanews.com
Sitting at the computer wearing pink socks with yellow duckies, 6-year-old Mackenzie Aldrich wiggles her toes as she answers questions for her school assignment.
The first-grader goes through several reading lessons that get progressively harder, reading stories and sentences into a microphone. From there she aces her math questions, then goes onto history, learning about the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, who dressed as a man.
For the last two years, Mackenzie, who lives in Kenosha, has been part of the Wisconsin Virtual Academy, an online public school for students in grades K-8 operated through the Northern Ozaukee School District but open to everyone in the state.
It could also be her last year, since the Wisconsin Education Association Council — the union for public school teachers — sued to have the virtual academy closed. That decision now rests with the Supreme Court, which both sides said should make a decision before the summer.
“We knew this could happen because (WIVA) told us up front, but we’re frustrated,” said Mackenzie’s father, Randy Aldrich. “She’s doing very well, and we really don’t want to go any other way. She’s being taught by real teachers, and I think what it comes down to for the union is money.”
WEAC says the school needs to be shut down because lessons are taught by parents and not by certified, licensed educators, a claim the union teachers who work for the program dispute.
The statewide union sued the academy in 2004, and in turn State Superintendent of Education Elizabeth Burmaster, on grounds that parents were doing the majority of the teaching, and the school was operating outside the district because of open enrollment.
The school won the lawsuit in 2006, but WEAC appealed, and the District 2 Court of Appeals reversed the decision late last year. Judge Richard Brown, writing for the three-judge panel, said the school violated the law by receiving state funds.
“The problem is not that the unlicensed WIVA parents teach their children, but that they teach in a public school,” wrote Judge Richard Brown.
WEAC officials said regardless of the school’s test scores — WIVA scores considerably higher than the state average in many areas — it’s important that all public schools follow the law.
“The courts found the parents are doing the teaching. They are the ones evaluating whether the students understand the material and can move on,” said Lucy Brown, legal counsel for WEAC. “We have never advocated that parents become the primary teacher.
“We want parental involvement; we want them interested in their child’s education; we want them assisting in school, but we don’t want them being the instructor. We want great schools, and if one school gets to break the rules, we have a concern.”
While the case works its way to the state Supreme Court, both sides said they hope legislation is passed that clarifies the issue. The parents and students can only wait it out.
“We know the school will at least be open until the end of this school year,” said Mackenzie’s mother, Leila Aldrich, “but they’re also telling us not to forget to enroll for next year, just in case. If it closes, we’ll probably have to find a homeschool program.”
The Aldrichs wanted to teach Mackenzie at home at least until the fifth grade, but initially shied away from home school because there was no accountability.
“I have a college degree and a postgraduate degree, but I don’t know if I know how to teach,” Leila Aldrich said. “I don’t have to worry about that, because with this program, the curriculum is done by the teacher, and if I have a question, I can call or e-mail.
“The teacher meets with Mackenzie at least twice a month and monitors her progress. In a regular school, she might get bored and left behind, but right now she’s almost ready to start secondgrade math.”
Leila Aldrich keeps her daughter on a regular schedule. She’s usually in bed by 8 p.m., up by 7:30 a.m. and doing schoolwork by 9. Her teacher, who is a WEAC member, prepares each lesson, sends it to Mackenzie, and expects her to complete work online and send back written work to be tested.
The teacher, Michelle Maas, also checks regularly on Mackenize, scheduling a conference Monday where the two talked in a live, one-on-one session over the computer, reviewing her work.
“Art is my favorite class, and I’m good at math, but I don’t like history,” Mackenzie said.
Still, her teacher is impressed.
“I’d definitely say Mackenzie is toward the higher end of the class,” Maas said, “Her reading skills are excellent, and she’s able to recall facts very easily.”
The teachers union maintains there is no oversight as to how the children are learning, but Maas said that’s not true.
“I’ve been a teacher for 15 years, and I can tell how someone is doing by how fluidly they are reading. And you’d be surprised what a microphone picks up. You can tell when a parent is whispering an answer into a child’s ear, or helping them with homework. If that’s the case, I have a discussion with the parents,” she said.
“What this comes down to is a matter of money and a matter of politics,” Maas said. “For WEAC, it doesn’t come down to the kids. They told us they need to sue us to force legislation to be written, but they’ve chosen to hurt the kids by suing us.”
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