From the Office of Representative Brian Baker

Works to Expand
Access to Education through Technology Initiatives

Jefferson City – Representative Brian Baker (R-Belton) was joined by legislative colleagues and representatives of Missouri educational institutions supporting his proposal to form the Missouri Virtual Public (MVP) School. House Bill 1275 (HB 1275) would require the State Board of Education to establish the MVP School, the state’s first public online school, by July 1, 2007.

“The MVP School is all about access and opportunity,” said Representative Baker. “Students anywhere in the state will have access to online courses. To me, that seems like real progress in advancing student achievement.”

Representative Baker, chair of the Special Committee on Student Achievement and Finance, believes the MVP School would benefit both the special needs student and the general student who wants to study from home. Students with a disability or a serious medical condition might not be able to participate in a “brick-and-mortar” school. The MVP School would give them access to public school benefits without an undue burden on their parents or guardians.

Some school districts do not have either qualified teachers or enough interested students to offer Advanced Placement courses. In fact, overall Missouri has a number of teacher shortages in areas as basic as math and science and as varied as marketing and vocal music. That can leave students without the opportunities students in larger school districts may have. Several organizations have given their support to Baker’s measure acknowledging the needs of Missouri students and expressing hope that the MVP School will be able to meet those needs responsibly.

“This bill expands educational opportunities for students who might not otherwise have access to particular classes,” said Dr. Carter Ward, Executive Director of the MSBA, “while at the same time maintaining student accountability through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.”

Jim Tice of Missouri Rural Development Partners likewise believes that the MVP School will combat the educational “inequities” that exist in many rural districts, providing “equal access to quality education.”

Commissioner of Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Kent King, advocates the MVP School on the basis that it “reduces barriers” for “those who need expanded learning opportunities and those who may need extra time to master course competencies.”
The MVP School will be required to adhere to the state accreditation program and it will be held accountable to performance measures, such as adequate yearly progress and annual performance report. Teachers at the MVP School will have to be certified and will be required to use an approved curriculum.

The MVP School also empowers parents with more choices. Some parents fear for their children’s safety when they go to school where the student body is behaviorally-challenged. With the MVP School, parents won’t have to foot the cost of private education and can assure that their children have a safe environment to study in.

Parents who already choose to home-school their children could benefit from using MVP School curriculum. They are welcome to enroll their children full-time in the MVP School or they can pick and choose the courses that meet the needs of their children and family. Importantly, enrollment in the MVP School will not prevent parents who couple home-school education with religious values from continuing to teach those values to their children.

MVP School participants may take all of their courses off campus, but they will still be able to participate in the extra-curricular activities and sports programs of their school district. Parents may choose to have their child provisionally enrolled in the district, allowing them to participate in these activities. Then, to support the student, the school district will be allocated 15% of the state aid it would normally receive for the student.

The other 85% of state aid, whether or not the child is provisionally enrolled, would go toward the MVP School. Overall, the MVP School should offer a cost-savings to the state. Currently, the state spends an average of $7,000 per student. Appropriations for the MVP School would total $5,200 per student.

HB 1275 was most recently reported “do pass” by Representative Baker’s committee. He anticipates his bill will enjoy broad support in the legislature.

While the prospect of an online public school seems likely in Missouri, another legislator, Representative Neal St. Onge (R-Ellisville), has already been working to increase the use of technology in the classroom. He has been involved in the implementation of a program that uses video-teleconference technology to bring students and teachers simultaneously from different parts of the state into one “classroom.” Currently, “Checks and Balances: Missouri’s System of Separation of Powers” reaches school sites in Cape Girardeau, Festus, Marshall, Morgan Co. R-II (Versailles) and St. Louis Community College. Students from Jefferson City participate in the broadcast on location.

“The technology we have at our fingertips makes so many things possible,” said Representative St. Onge. “This project can reach parts of the state that are far removed, physically, from the Missouri state government. I look forward to seeing how this program, or something like it, can be used to reach students throughout the state.”

The first broadcast of “Checks and Balances,” conducted February 23rd, included a question and answer session between students and Missouri’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael A. Wolff. This Thursday, Representative Neal St. Onge will join others in the first of four broadcasts focusing on the legislative process. Broadcasts covering both the judicial and legislative processes in Missouri will occur over the next few months. In between broadcasts, students and teachers will be engaged in a series of projects related to the broadcasts.

House leadership recognizes the efforts of Representatives Baker and St. Onge and believes new opportunities are opening up for Missouri students.

“Brian and Neal have shown real leadership,” said Speaker of the Missouri House, Rod Jetton (R-Marble Hill). “They’ve taken the technology and resources available to them and are now making Missouri a better place to live and learn. It’s doing things like this that make a real difference in the lives of Missourians.”

“Checks and Balances” is being sponsored by the Missouri School Boards’ Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the Supreme Court of Missouri, MSBA, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education - Service Learning and bi-State K-16 Engagement Alliance.