Dear Virtual Public School Families,
Welcome back to school! This is an exciting time for students and parents as we kick off the 2014-2015 school year. My name is Steven Isaacs and I am the President of the Oregon Virtual Public Schools Alliance, a coalition of virtual school families and supporters dedicated to the long-term viability of virtual public schools in Oregon. I have a 9th grade son, Skylar, who has attended a virtual public school for the last six years. This year he begins his first year in a virtual public high school. This is an exciting transition for him. During the time that Skylar has attended a virtual public school, I have been actively involved in advocating on behalf of Oregon virtual public school students – an experience I hope to share with some of you in the coming weeks at back to school events.
I want to commend all our parents who have worked hard to educate state policymakers about the importance of virtual public schools. The Oregon State Legislature will continue to debate virtual public education during the 2015 legislative session and it is important that we remain vigilant in our efforts to advocate for our schools. I urge you to go to our website and sign up for our updates about the public debate surrounding virtual school and be sure to Like our Facebook page. I also encourage you to attend our Virtual Schools Capitol Day, which will be held in Salem during the spring of 2015. This is a great opportunity to meet other virtual school families and learn about our state government. I will send you more information on Capitol Day as soon as we confirm the date.
Our mission is to provide parent access and choice in virtual public schools, ensure sustainable funding, insist on quality programs and demand accountability from both the public school system and our schools. If we are to continue to make progress towards these founding principles, your parent voice needs to be a part of the public debate. Otherwise state policymakers will only hear from those who may not have our children’s interest at heart.
Thanks for your support. I look forward to working with you to protect and promote virtual public schools in Oregon. If you’d like to play an active role in advocating for our schools, please email me and I will let you know how you can get involved.
Sincerely,
Steven Isaacs
President
Learning Coach to Skylar – ORVA High School 9th Grader