Greenfield School Committee Votes to Keep Virtual Academy in Operation

A Western Massachusetts school committee has voted to keep the state’s only operation virtual school open next year.

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Credit Tom Check / Flickr

Recently the Greenfield Public Schools Committee voted to reverse an earlier decision that would have discontinued the operation of the district’s Massachusetts Virtual Academy in the 2013-2014 school year.

Some committee members had felt that ceding control of the Virtual Academy to the state’s new Commonwealth Virtual School program would be too similar to creating a charter school.

The 5 to 2 vote on Thursday evening directs Greenfield’s Superintendent Susan Hollins to prepare a Request for Proposals for the state government to continue the Academy’s operation.

Currently, 470 students from across the state, many facing special circumstances, take online classes at the Virtual Academy. In January Governor Patrick signed a law to establish up to 10 state-run virtual schools in Massachusetts by 2020.