Federal Federal File

Virtual Academy Forgoes Grant

By David J. Hoff — August 14, 2007 | Corrected: February 22, 2019 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Corrected: An earlier version of this story incorrectly characterized the financial relationship of the Arkansas Virtual School and K12. As a statewide charter school, the Arkansas Virtual School receives state funding and contracts with K12 to provide curriculum and other services.

Project once tied to Bennett now relies on money from Arkansas.

When the Department of Education announced grant recipients last month under its public-school-choice program, the list of 14 had one noticeable omission: an Arkansas online project run by a company co-founded by former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett.

The Arkansas project decided not to reapply for any of the program’s $25 million in grants because it now has a steady funding stream as a statewide charter school, said Jeffrey Kwitowski, a spokesman for K12, the Herndon, Va.-based private company that manages what has become the Arkansas Virtual Academy.

The Education Department’s grant in 2002 to start the school drew scrutiny because federal officials chose the Arkansas project over others that scored higher in peer reviewers’ evaluations.

At the time, a department spokeswoman said officials used their discretion to overrule those evaluations. Former Education Department officials said high-level officials in previous administrations rarely took such actions.

In 2004, one department employee, requesting anonymity, told Education Week: “Anything with Bill Bennett’s name on it was going to get funded.” (“Federal Grant Involving Bennett’s K12 Inc. Questioned,” July 28, 2004.)

Mr. Bennett, who was secretary of education during President Reagan’s second term and remains active in Republican circles, resigned from K12 in October 2005 amid controversy over racially charged remarks he made about abortion and crime on his radio program.

The federal grant under the Voluntary Public School Choice program helped establish the Arkansas Virtual Academy.

Although the federal grant technically went to the Arkansas education department, most of the money flowed to K12 to provide computers, online teachers, and other materials to students. Today, 500 students are enrolled in the schools, which receives almost $5,700 per student in state funding as a statewide charter school, said Karen Ghidotti, the head of the school. The school contracts with K12 for curriculum, instructors, and other services.

With that funding intact, the school did not need the federal grant to finance its operations, Mr. Kwitowski wrote in an e-mail.

The Arkansas project fulfilled the purpose of the federal grant program because it created new opportunities for students who might otherwise have been in low-performing schools, said Katherine McLane, a spokeswoman for the federal Education Department.

See Also

See other stories on education issues in Arkansas. See data on Arkansas’ public school system.

A version of this article appeared in the August 15, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

English Learners Webinar Family and Community Engagement: Best Practices for English Learners
Strengthening the bond between schools and families is key to the success of English learners. Learn how to enhance family engagement and support student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
How an Inquiry-Based Approach Transforms Math Learning
Transform math learning with an approach that empowers students to become active, engaged learners.
Content provided by MIND Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Webinar
Scaling Tutoring through Federal Work Study Partnerships
Want to scale tutoring without overwhelming teachers? Join us for a webinar on using Federal Work-Study (FWS) to connect college students with school-age children.
Content provided by Saga Education

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Opinion With Trump in Office, Schools Should Ask Themselves These Questions
The incoming administration could change many laws and rules that would affect public education. Larry Ferlazzo explains how to respond.
5 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Federal Trump's Potential Picks for Education Secretary: What to Know
Who could be tapped to lead an agency the president-elect has pledged to abolish?
7 min read
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally, March 9, 2024, in Rome Ga.
Donald Trump, now president-elect, speaks at a campaign rally, March 9, 2024, in Rome, Ga. The education world is eager to find out who he will appoint to be U.S. secretary of education in his second term.
Mike Stewart/AP
Federal Opinion A Reminder to America: We Still Agree on More Than We Don’t
In the wake of the election, the education sector has important work ahead to bridge our political differences.
Katy Anthes
4 min read
Hands reach out to each other. Handshake.
<br/>Alona Horkova/iStock + Education Week
Federal Q&A Betsy DeVos' Advice for Trump's Next Education Secretary
DeVos is eager to see a second Trump administration finish what she helped start on school choice and rolling back the federal K-12 role.
6 min read
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks during a briefing at the Department of Education building in Washington on July 8, 2020.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos speaks during a briefing at the Department of Education building in Washington on July 8, 2020.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP