Dear Virtual Public School Supporter —
Last month, students across Oregon headed back to school, but the 2020 school year is much different than in previous years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, families were looking for alternatives to their local district-sponsored public school and some found a good fit in a virtual public charter school. To those of you who are new to virtual public education and the Oregon Virtual Public Schools Alliance (OVPSA), welcome! Welcome back to those of you who are seasoned virtual public school parents and already part of our advocacy coalition.
I also understand that some of you were denied the opportunity to enroll your children in a virtual public charter school because your school district hit the 3% enrollment cap. Raising the cap on virtual public charter schools will be our top priority during the 2021 legislative session and we will be relying on parents to deliver this message to legislators.
As the school year progresses, I hope you will:
Sign our petition to urge lawmakers to raise the enrollment cap on virtual public charter schools
Check out the OVPSA website and sign up for our updates.
Like our Facebook page.
Follow us on Twitter.
Read our Voters Guide - in your inbox next week - to learn more about where candidates stand on issues related to virtual public education.
And email me, info@oregonvirtualschools.org, if you would like to play an active role in advocating for our education choice.
More about the enrollment cap
In 2011, the Oregon State Legislature placed a cap of 3% on the number of kids in a school district that can transfer to full-time virtual public charter schools. Nearly 10 years later, that number hasn’t been adjusted to account for growth. With COVID-19 closing traditional classrooms around the state, more and more parents are seeking better online learning options and nearly 50 school districts across the state have hit the 3% cap with more likely to follow.
During the 2021 legislative session we will be urging legislators to raise the enrollment cap to allow more students to attend virtual public charter schools, but we can’t do this without your help! The parent voice is critical in the debate surrounding virtual public charter education in our state. I hope you will make your voice heard and support our advocacy efforts. I will be updating you in the coming weeks about how you can help, so stay tuned.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Tricia F. Powell
President