School District Looks to SoWashCo Online to Alleviate Budget Woes
Written by Cheney Yao
Photo by Shridula Arun
As the pandemic ravaged the nation, South Washington County Schools was not spared. To offset the financial damage that was taken, SoWashCo is launching SoWashCo Online, a program that allows students to take virtual courses offered by any school in the district.
SoWashCo Online has been in the works for several years, and is piloting the 2021-2022 school year with plans to launch fall of 2022, as it is currently going through the Minnesota Education Association’s tough accreditation process, which will allow it to open its doors to students outside of the district.
The program is a mixed learning model: students work on lessons asynchronously and meet with teachers from the district synchronously on a flexible schedule to ask questions, allowing them “flexibility along with structured support, the best of both worlds,” according to Kelsey Nash, the coordinator of innovation and technology for District 833.
There are currently 13 courses offered, with plans to expand the number every year. According to Dan Pyan, the district financial director, SoWashCo needs 10-15 students outside the district while also drawing students back from other programs to meet its budget goal, with a “projected 50 students enrolled in the 2022-2023 school year, and the number doubling in 2023-2024,” adds Nash. If they do not meet their goal, budget cuts will continue but will be found outside the schools.
Students at East Ridge currently have access to North Star Online, an independent company that provides courses similar to SoWashCo Online. Students have had great experiences and are eager to continue within the district.
Addison Gager, a sophomore, took online gym summer of her freshman year. “In person, I wanted to focus more on the classes that were science and math based, instead of taking time away to do gym. It would work better for my schedule and my plans for the future to do gym over the summer, so it didn’t interfere with my classes.
Drew Adams, a senior, took a year long online Spanish course while taking regular courses at school. “I heard good recommendations from my friends that previously took it, so I checked it out, liked what I saw, and decided to take the course.”
Teachers have mixed feelings about SoWashCo Online. Some are excited for the opportunities it brings and lessons it teaches to students, whereas others are raising concerns as to the potential delay in development that may result due to isolation from their peers and lack of social interaction.
Mr. Denn, a 12th grade political science teacher, has piloted online courses and taught hybrid, virtual, and in person classes. He talked about the benefits of online courses, including giving students the opportunity to take an active role in their own learning and how it can be applied to college preparation.
“I think it’s because of the opportunities for students to own their learning. It really places the motivation behind learning; it’s not showing up to a classroom, sitting in a desk, having stuff delivered to them and jumping through the hoops. When you go online and you're investing your time, you have to make the decision about when you're going to work and how much you’re going to put into it. I think it changes the model, where students own their learning a little bit more, it’s more intrinsic for them. It’s not for everybody, but that’s what I get excited about.”
Mr. Bidwell, an AP Human Geography teacher who teaches 9th grade, looked at the other effects of online courses, which results in a lack of social interaction--something that is important for incoming 9th grade students. “Because freshmen need that support and relationship with the teacher, they also need those social connections with other students because social development is a huge piece of that integration into 9th grade and throughout the development of a student.”
