Online programs draw students
CHENEY – More families here are sending their children for an education outside of the Cheney School District this year.
During the Sept. 25 School Board meeting, district Teacher and Learning Director Kelly Nicchols presented school-choice data, focusing on students residing within the district but attending other school districts or online schools.
According to Niccols, 637 students residing in the district are being educated elsewhere.
That number includes 183 students who opted-out of Cheney schools for the first time this year, according to the district’s data. Nicchols said 124 families surveyed said their child is currently enrolled in online schools.
She did not address homeschool students in her presentation. But records show 116 families with 189 students are homeschooling here.
Following her presentation, School Board member Mark Scott asked why families were making the choice.
“Some students struggle with the full workload at our schools, and online school can be a way to keep them enrolled in something,” Niccols said.
One-hundred-one families opted to send their children to other school districts, in part because of work accessibility.
Niccols noted many of these students are from Fairchild Air Force Base families, who find Medical Lake’s before- and after-school programs more convenient.
Finance Director Jamie Reed said many families feel connected to Medical Lake because it has a larger population of military families.
“They’ll be there for six months, then move again,” Reed said, noting the transient nature of military life.
Scott emphasized the importance of understanding why families are opting out.
“Tackling this issue will be hard,” he said.
“It’s important that we survey families to understand their reasons for opting out,” added Superintendent Ben Ferney.
Scott suggested that building a second elementary school in Airway Heights, closer to Fairchild, might help retain students.
To that end, during the Nov. 5 general election, district voters are being asked to support a facilities bond that would fund a new elementary school in Airway Heights, as well as upgrade other existing schools.
Clare is an Eastern Washington University graduate and a reporter at Free Press Publishing.
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