The Courier of Montgomery County reports that following Governor Greg Abbott’s direction to the Texas Education Agency to waive requirements for online learning to give permission to districts to create their programs, Conroe Independent School District will make an application to the state to continue its option for virtual school through 2025.
With state approval, Conroe ISD will be allowed to continue making virtual instruction options available to students in grades three through 12 as a participating component of the Texas Virtual School Network.
In 2022, thanks to Senate Bill 15, Conroe ISD began its online program. School districts and charter schools were granted their ability to initiate their learning virtual programs.
Funding under the bill was scheduled to come to a close in September.
Governor Abbott assigned TEA Commissioner Mike Morath in June to waive specific requirements for open-enrollment charter schools and regular school districts to offer virtual instruction on a full-time basis as part of the Texas Virtual School Network.
In a news release, the governor’s office said this waiver authority from TEA will let school systems offering full-time virtual instruction to get full funding for each student in the third through twelfth grades who complete the school year successfully.
About 130 students are enrolled in the district’s online campus, according to Conroe ISD Deputy Superintendent Bethany Medford. Pending approval of the application, around 30 students are standing by for enrollment.
