Committee advances bill tightening rules for virtual schools after audits flagged poor outcomes

House Bill 1259, introduced to the House Education Committee and advanced in a voice vote, would tighten enrollment and funding rules for public virtual schools after state audit findings showed some local virtual programs were operating with weak student outcomes and possible statutory gaps.

Presenter (Speaker 3) told the committee that a Department of Audits and Accounts review found that local school systems had established virtual schools with statewide enrollment that effectively skirted authorizing rules and enrollment caps. He cited Montgomery Academy and Vidalia as historical examples and said Jenkins County Virtual Preparatory Academy—run by a management company based in Ohio—was repeatedly denied authorization by the State Charter School Commission yet continues to operate and underperform on CCRPI scores (presenter cited elementary 27, middle 26, high 19).

The bill would do two things: require that a virtual school’s district-level CCRPI average be at least 70 over the previous two years before the virtual school may enroll out-of-county students, and exclude out-of-system virtual students from the enrollment count used to calculate a district’s equalization (QBE) funding. ‘‘This bill is simply about accountability and outcomes,’’ Presenter (Speaker 3) said, framing the measure as protecting instructional dollars and student achievement.

Committee members asked no substantive follow-up questions before a motion to ‘‘do pass’’ was made (Unidentified Speaker, S2) and seconded; the committee approved the measure by voice vote and the chairman read LC640067 to confirm the file number before signing the committee action. No roll-call vote or recorded tallies were provided in the transcript.

Next steps: The bill was moved from committee for further consideration by the House; the transcript records only the committee-level action and not subsequent calendar placement.