On Monday, the committee voted to pass a moratorium on the authorization of virtual charter schools. The measure, sponsored by Senate President Justin Alfond, D-Portland, would prohibit creation of both full-time and for-profit virtual charter schools until the Maine Charter School Commission can draft and report out “best practices” for the schools.
Alfond, who has previously supported digital learning initiatives, told lawmakers last month that there was mounting evidence that virtual charter schools underperform. He cited a study by the National Education Policy Center at Western Michigan University which found that one in three K12 Inc. schools reported making adequate yearly progress in 2010.
