FORT SMITH -- The School Board will decide Monday whether to renew the covid-era Fort Smith Virtual Academy Charter School.
The School District is recommending that the Virtual Academy charter, which expires June 30, not be renewed, according to information from the meeting agenda. The Virtual Academy offers learning programs through the district for students in grades 6-12, according to the academy's Facebook page.
"Enrollment in the FSVA has continued to decline and services are currently contracted through the Arkansas Virtual Academy," a memo from Superintendent Martin Mahan states.
If approved by board members Monday, Mahan will be authorized to notify the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education about the non-renewal of the charter, the resolution states.
Instead, district staff recommend offering virtual learning services as part of the Alternative Learning Program at Orr Learning Academy, if there is still a need for those services, the memo states.
The Alternative Learning Program offers non-traditional educational services for students in grades K-12.
Orr Learning Academy opened in 2025 following the closure of Orr Elementary School. The elementary school closed after the 2024-25 school year following a unanimous vote by the School Board in August 2024.
The Fort Smith Virtual Academy has operated since the 2022-23 school year after the School Board authorized it in 2021, according to the agenda.
The Virtual Academy is a "FSPS District Conversion Charter School" offering flexible learning for students, according to the district's website.
The School Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Dr. Benny L. Gooden Service Center.
Ashley Torres can be reached by email at atorres@rivervalleydemocratgazette.com.