The Shawano School District is partnering with Rural Virtual Academy to allow Shawano students to receive at-home virtual instruction through the Academy while remaining district students.
Previously, students wanting to receive virtual instruction had to transfer out of Shawano through the open enrollment process. With the partnership in place, students will not have to transfer out of the district and can participate in district activities or classes.
Superintendent Kurt Krizan said that the district had been looking for a way to provide virtual instruction to district families for the past several years. After the shift to virtual instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, families preferring to continue virtual instruction at home had no option other than to transfer out of the district.
Rural Virtual Academy is a charter school based in the Medford School District. It offers K-12 instruction in core academics as well as electives and remediation and acceleration curriculums. The Shawano partnership will begin with the 2024-25 school year.
“This is a win-win,” said Krizan. “First, this opportunity is about how to provide a quality program with this style of instruction to students who thrive online. Also, the opportunity to partner with another district is a cost-effective solution. We are not starting from the ground up. Finally, it allows our resident students to enroll back into our local schools, which avoids the cost to the district for students open-enrolling out. It is a great win for all.”
In addition to accommodating those district students who want virtual instruction, the partnership with the academy will allow district students access to courses the district is unable to offer such as foreign languages or advanced coursework.
“This partnership provides more courses for our students as well,” said Krizan. “This is all about the opportunities our students are going to have.”
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