Coalition testimony on SB 5410

The following is testimony presented today by Marie Holloway, the parent of two children who attend an online public school and one of the founders of Washington Families for Online Learning.You can review the bill she mentions here.

Testimony of Marie Holloway
Online Public School Parent
On SB 5410
January 26, 2009

Members of the Committee:

My name is Marie Holloway, and I am here as a parent whose two children attend Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA), a statewide public virtual school created by the Steilcoom Historical School District.  I'm also one of the founders of Washington Families for Online Learning, an independent group of families who are committed to advocating for online learning in our State. I'm here today to provide a voice for the parents and children for whom a public virtual school is the best fit. We believe that the bill you are considering today, Senate Bill 5410, could force our school to close if passed and signed into law.

Online public schools are the public school of choice for thousands of families across our state. I, and many other families, have spent time reviewing the proposed legislation, which from our perspective, mistakenly implies that the only reason we choose online schools is for the courses. While it's true that we're savvy consumers of public education and we decided to enroll in online schools after evaluating our options and the kinds of courses and curriculum that are available, courses are only one element of our online public school experience.

Our schools are real public schools that provide our children with comprehensive, full- and part-time academic programs. Our children are taught by Washington-certified, highly qualified teachers.  Our children take state and other tests, just like children in traditional public schools. We have extra curricular activities available, and so much more. We're just like any other public school in so many, many ways. We have access to our schools around the clock, while traditional public school students can only access their buildings and their classrooms for a set number of hours each day. To put it another way, instead of having our children delivered to a school on a bus, the school is delivered to our children via the Internet. Surely, in a state that's as technologically advanced as Washington, it's a concept that shouldn't be foreign to any of you.

Our families select online public schools for a variety of reasons. Some of our children have special medical needs that can't be supported in a traditional setting, while others have special learning needs that are best addressed in an online setting, which includes the direction of a teacher AND the support of a parent or other adult. And, for some children, their neighborhood or traditional public school is not the best fit.  There's even an online program for students to meet with their teacher once a week at Ft. Lewis. It's the first in the country.  In short, online public schools aren't for everyone, but they work well for many.

There are school administrators and others who can talk about how accountable our schools are to the taxpayers, through tests, audits, and other state and federal requirements. I also would add that our schools are even more accountable because they have to answer to US, as parents. If an online public school fails to meet our children's needs, we can go elsewhere and the school could close. That's powerful.

We love our teachers and school administrators. We love our schools.  And, we are grateful to our state leaders who have made this choice available to us. If passed, however, this proposal would be a set back for our technologically advanced state and, most important, it would be a set back to the children -- our children -- who rely on their online public schools to provide them with the education they will need to succeed.

On behalf of my children and the thousands of others who love and rely on their online public schools to help prepare them for life, I hope you will reject Senate Bill 5410.

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today.