In a four to one vote on Monday night the Elkin City Schools Board of Education decided to bring its online Global Learning Academy to an end at the close of this school year. The GLA program has been much discussed at several recent School Board meetings, including a special called meeting that brought forth numerous parents, students and teachers to speak on behalf of the program. The e-learning academy began amid the pandemic but continued as another educational option for students even after in-person learning resumed on campus.
The motion to dissolve the Global Academy was made by Earl Blackburn and seconded by Jennifer Kleinheksel. Board Chairman Richard Brinegar and board member Johnny Blevins voted in favor of the dissolution. The dissenting vote came from longtime educator Larry Wagoner.
Discussed by board members following the motion was the cost involved and the program’s low school performance grade. According to school leadership the Global Learning Academy is projected to lose around $170,000. The Global Academy’s state school performance grade is a D. The GLA currently serves 57 students, 40 of those are out-of-district students.
At the special called meeting held Feb. 5, GLA Principal Heath Foster and teacher Lane Beshears addressed the board on the subject of cost and growth indicators for GLA students.
Foster called the program “a worthwhile expense” and said rather than looking at the money as a loss to see it as “investing in our kids.”
“What we do is more than a line item in a budget,” added Lane Beshears.
Parents, students and educators, speaking at recent meetings, pleaded desperately for continuation of the remote learning option for a variety of reasons. Physical and mental health, and family scheduling were mentioned as reasons why some students needed the remote learning option.
“I believe that parents and guardians should be actively involved in and have a voice in their learner’s education. I think that some of us have gotten so caught up in parent’s rights that we’ve forgotten that other parents might want a learning experience for their kids that doesn’t match some of your own plans and beliefs. Who are we to judge and/or deny an education that meets their needs,” Foster said during the Feb. 5 meeting.
GLA student Madeline Robinson Kattis spoke in defense of the program as well at the last school board meeting.
“I want to keep GLA because most people are not as social as other people are in a public school and they struggle with finding, like, partners to do group work and stuff,” she said. “I am one of those people and I want to keep GLA open so I can do work by myself. Doing work by myself helps me improve as a better person.”
Amanda Robinson, Madeline’s mother, spoke as well explaining that her daughter was Autistic and the in-person classroom setting was not suited for her.
“She didn’t speak until she was three,” Robinson explained. “In a busy classroom setting when all of the socializing is going on and all the different conversations, it’s really confusing to her.”
Robinson went on to say that her daughter tried to “act like a normal kid” while at in-person school and that it “broke her spirit.” She said a therapist recommended a remote learning option.
Robinson praised the GLA teachers and said the remote learning school was a wonderful option for students like her daughter and so many more that could benefit from it.
“You have something so amazing here,” Robinson said. “There’s a real opportunity for you.”
Sitting on the front row at Monday’s meeting were GLA 10th-grade student Ryan Nicoletta and her mother Jamie, both were emotional when the vote came. Immediately after the meeting, Foster and another school administrator went to Nicoletta and were talking with her about options.
While she was saddened by the loss of the program and her GLA “family”, Ryan Nicoletta said she was knew it was just a roadblock, not the end of high school career. Her mother said she knew her daughter would stay in touch with her GLA friends, but said the loss was still deeply felt.
“GLA is a community where I feel safe. I feel seen. I feel cared for. They’ve never once made me feel like they have tried to limit my abilities or my thinking skills or the way I learn. They’ve helped me succeed,” Ryan Nicoletta said. “I’ve had amazing teachers, they’ve all cared, they have all encouraged me when I needed it.”
Of the decision to close the GLA school, Jamie Nicoletta said, “I appreciate the time and energy they [the school board] gave us, but I feel like we were ignored in some aspect. I feel like it came down to money and that’s not what these kids are, or these teachers.”
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