Privatizing online education?

Two Utah County companies have contracts worth millions of dollars to manage charter schools' and one traditional school's online education programs. The 11 schools audited are handing over anywhere from 54 percent to 93 percent of their unrestricted taxpayer funding $2,880 to $4,147 per student this year to the private companies, state education auditors estimate. A new audit criticizes the charters and Provo Districts eSchool for lax management of the contracts and for violating state law and education rules.
Name of School Money (per student) paid to company Money (per student) to the school % of money Students to company in online

Harmony Educational Services customers

Pioneer High School Rockwell DaVinci C.S. Lewis Mana Aristotle Pacic Heritage Provo Dist. eSchool*
$2,880 $5,306 $3,881 $4,698 $3,439 $4,635 $3,870 $4,295 $4,147 $4,464 $3,442 $4,265 $3,675 $4,433 $3,845 $2,935 90.1% 92.9% 80.7% 82.9% *131.9% 82.6% 74.2% 54.3%

306 79 527 200 420 25 97 55

My Tech High Inc. customers

Gateway Prep American Leadership Provo Dist. eSchool*
$3,540 $4,341 $3,710 $4,699 $2,897 $2,935 *98.7% 81.5% 78.9%

167 82 589

*Provos eSchool gures arent comparable because traditional school nancing is not the same as charter nancing. Source: Distance and Online Education Programs Audit 2013, Utah Ofce of Education The Salt Lake Tribune