Digital Education

This AP article points to a possible change in the way virtual education will be funded in Idaho. Although it still needs to go through the Senate, the measure, backed largely by Republicans, allows schools to shift 5 percent of the money they use to pay teachers, which they either "use or lose," and put it into virtual education.

One Republican asserted that this would be a big help to rural districts, which may not have the money to provide all the courses that larger, urban or suburban districts can offer their students.

It seems to me that simply having the option to use that money towards virtual education, especially in the districts that want it, could be a good thing. Forcing districts to sink 5 percent of the instructional budgets into virtual education is a different story, but giving them the flexibility to do it if it's a good fit for that particular district seems like a step in the right direction. We'll have to wait and see what the Idaho senators think.