Chelsea School Board to Vote on School of Choice Option Monday

A proposal to approve Chelsea School District as a limited school of choice for the 2012-2013 academic year will go before the Chelsea Board of Education on Monday.

If approved, the proposal, recommended by Superintendent Andrew Ingall, would allow the district to apply for "best practice" incentive funding from the state. Ingall said the district would receive roughly $125,000 or roughly $54 per student for meeting seven out of eight specific practices.

Chelsea already meets six practices, including:

• The school district is the chief policy holder on medical benefit plans.
• Obtaining competitive bids for 2012-13 non-instructional services.
• Monitoring individual pupil academic growth in each subject area at least twice during the school fiscal year using competency based online assessments.
• Supporting opportunities for pupils to receive postsecondary credit while attending secondary school.
• Offering online instructional programs or blended learning opportunities to all eligible pupils.
• Provide a link on district’s home page for the MiSchoolData portal.

To receive the additional funding, Chelsea would need to either become a School of Choice or meet increased seat time for physical education or health education.

"We're very full from a class-to-class persepctive this year," Ingall said. "If we do anything, we will only make the virtual academy option available. After this year, we will continue that conversation about how we can continue to meet the state's 'best practice' standards."

Ingall said students enrolled in the Virtual Learning Academy Consortium are counted as Chelsea students but do not physically attend classes in the district.

The school board meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at South Meadows School. For more information, email aingall@chelsea.k12.mi.us.