Dr. James Witty and Scott Merrick of MNPS Virtual School share their progress in creating and delivering online learning options in a large Public School District

1. Public School? Online? Yes.
for iNACOL Southeastern Region Committee Meeting
May 10, 2012
Scott Merrick, Online Learning Specialist
and
Dr. James Witty, Executive Principal

2. Where do you fall in this matrix?
Trying to establish
and maintain
self-sustainability MNPS Virtual
in a responsible School
way
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2012/04/all_edtech_summarized_in_one_slide_market_open_and_dewey.html

3. A Solution in Search of a Problem?
Not at all.
Brick and mortar schools and their 18th century
design are too often prisons where we send
"children who have committed no crime:"
"Too many children in public schools are not motivated to learn.
Apathy is the prevailing mood in many classrooms. Children sit,
stare out the window hoping to see something happen, and
serve their time as aimlessly as prison inmates waiting for their
release dates; like inmates they occasionally act out to break
the boredom. Why are we punishing children who have
committed no crime?"-
-Jack F. Troy, School's Out, The Case for Abandoning Failing
Public Schools and the Rebirth of American Education at Home

4. What's the Public School to DO?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2zqTYgcpfg

5. A Brief History:
• August 2010--Coordinator and Specialist hired
• September 2010--e4TN courses begin MNPS Virtual
Learning Program, part-time Counselor
• December 2010--Registrar/Assistant hired
• May 2011--FLVS Global School leases begun--
• 15 full-timers, 100 hybrid, 7 graduates
• July 2011--Full-time Counselor hired
• Summer 2011--A+Credit Recovery, ~300 seats, TN
School Number issued!
o Adjunct Faculty search and hire
• Fall 2011--Courses leased & purchased (FLVS and
eDynamic Learning, 3 LMSs, 50 full-timers, 220 hybrid,
including 3 MS beta projects and one MS full-timer

6. Here we are:
• New Principal!
o Specialist, Secretary (12 mo.);
Registrar &Counselor (10 mo.)
• Graduating 6 full-timers May 21
• Summer Session
• Planning for a BIG 2012-13
o Up to 150 full-timers
o # of hybrid learners?

7. Vision(s) for the Future
• Potentially the largest enrollment of any
school in MNPS
• Self-sustaining funding stream
• Many more staff, including full-time faculty
• Middle School
• Pk-4
• A deserved reputation for excellence
• A duty of care that focuses on what is best
for our students

8. Public School? Online? Yes.
for iNACOL Southeastern Region
Committee
May 10, 2012
Scott Merrick, scott.merrick@mnps.org
and
Dr. James Witty, james.witty@mnps.org