State of Indiana yanks the plug on two virtual schools.

Today's article comes from eSchoolNews.com. Two virtual charter schools were set to open this fall in Indiana, but the state Legislature did not provide funding for them in the final state budget. The move has left parents scrambling to find other options for their children.

Pamela Bless thought she had found an exciting alternative to traditional instruction when she enrolled her three children in a new online charter school slated to open this fall. Instead, she's wondering where her 13-year-old triplets will end up after the Indiana General Assembly decided not to fund the schools.

"My kids were as or more disappointed than I was," said Bless, of Greenwood, Ind. "They feel that it's a statement that children are not important to officials in state government." Ball State University had proposed opening two virtual charter schools--the Indiana Virtual Charter School and Indiana Connections Academy--this fall, with a total of about 2,200 students.

The budget proposed by the GOP-led Senate would have allowed the two schools to open. Democrats who control the House, however, objected to having any state money fund such programs, and the final budget approved April 29--the last day of the legislative session--explicitly stated that virtual charter schools cannot receive funding from the state or any distribution of property taxes. To read the rest of this article click here.