The Charter School Review Board on Monday unanimously approved a Wake County charter school’s request to separate its virtual program into a standalone charter school.
The decision allows Pine Springs’ Virtual Academy, which enrolls more than 3,500 students from across the state, to break away from Pine Springs’ brick-and-mortar charter and become Dogwood Virtual School. The virtual program was approved in 2024 and is expected to graduate its first senior class next year.
The move is permitted under a law passed last year that allows charter schools operating remote academies with at least 250 students to request separate charter status through an expedited process that does not require a planning year.
Steven Walker, general counsel for the Charter School Review Board, said the request marked the first time a charter school has sought to formally separate a remote academy under the new law. The law was intended largely to address administrative and reporting issues, while allowing the same governing board to continue overseeing both schools.
“We’ve seen a lot of confusion with the remote charters, because you’ve got separate school numbers, and sometimes the audits get conflated,” Walker said. “The intent of the legislature was that [a program of this size] should be its own school … for administrative purposes.”
School leaders echoed that rationale in their presentation, saying the same nonprofit board of directors and superintendent will continue to oversee both schools.
Bruce Friend, chair of the Charter School Review Board, is also the superintendent of Pine Springs Preparatory Academy. He presented the request to the board and recused himself from the discussion and vote.
Some board members raised questions about oversight, academic rigor and how results should be measured in a virtual setting.
Eric Guckian, a member of the review board, said he supported the request but questioned whether the state has adequate ways to track outcomes as virtual schools expand.
“I have huge concerns about these virtual schools in general,” Guckian said. “I’m not sure we have the right level of tracking.”
Eric Sanchez, another board member, said Pine Springs’ record did not resolve broader questions about how virtual schools should be evaluated.
“This school notwithstanding, it’s a good school,” Sanchez said. “My concern is how we make sure there’s a level of success we’re striving to in this environment and that evaluation doesn’t become ambiguous.”
Sanchez also warned that virtual options could draw students who are not facing extenuating circumstances but are seeking a less demanding path.
“If given the option to take something that is less rigorous, less demanding, people are going to take the easier road,” he said.
Students enroll in virtual schools for a range of reasons, including medical needs that prevent in-person attendance, career, family or work commitments.
John Eldridge, vice chair of the review board, said online schools can provide a pathway for students who are off track academically, but said the state still needs clear standards to judge results.
“When you come back for renewal, hopefully we’ve had time to come up with metrics to say, ‘Yes, you’ve accomplished something here,’” Eldridge said.
Several members asked Pine Springs to return with data comparing its results with the state’s other virtual charter schools and to report on outcomes for students who remain enrolled over multiple years.
Lindalyn Kakadelis, a board member, said she wants continued reporting on students’ academic proficiency when they enter the virtual school and how those students perform over time.
“When you come back for renewal, I want to know your legacy,” Lindalyn said. “The students who’ve been with you for five years — how are they performing?”
Dogwood Virtual School would become the state’s third virtual charter school, joining North Carolina Virtual Academy and North Carolina Cyber Academy.
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