XplanaZine

♦ AT&T Announces New Contract With Visalia Unified School District
AT&T has signed a new contract with California’s Visalia Unified School District that serves close to 27,000 students in 34 schools. Under the terms of the five-year contract, AT&T will serve as the primary service provider for Visalia USD and will deliver AT&T OPT-E-MAN service, a switched Ethernet service to connect the district’s 24 elementary schools, newcomer language center, four middle schools, four comprehensive high schools and other related administrative and educational sites within the district. — PR Newswire

♦ Academy of Art University’s Online Art Classes Continue to Receive Rave Reviews
In San Francisco, Academy of Art University is riding the wave of the future with their cutting-edge online art classes. Students have the option to pursue a career in art and design by taking some or all of their classes online. Through the Academy’s accredited online art program, students can obtain a master’s or bachelor’s degree or an online award of completion — whenever and wherever it is convenient for them. – PR Web

♦ Sparring over online schools
Key Republican and Democratic leaders launched competing efforts on Thursday to rewrite Wisconsin ’s laws for online schools, just weeks before families begin filling out applications to transfer from their traditional home school districts. – Wisconsin State Journal

♦ Wisconsin’s Largest Online High School Gears up for Open Enrollment
Wisconsin’s largest online high school, iQ Academy, is kicking off a series of open houses across the state this January in preparation for open enrollment season taking place February 4 - 22, 2008. Each year, Wisconsin students have the opportunity to enroll in other public schools outside their home district. – Earth Times

♦ Editorial: Virtual schools questionable recipients of public dollars
Do virtual schools have a legitimate claim on Wisconsin tax dollars? That’s the basic question before policymakers after an appellate court ruled that Wisconsin Virtual Academy isn’t eligible for state funds under Wisconsin’s public school open enrollment program. – Tomah Journal

♦ School officials want standardized tests computerized
In Wisconsin, Janesville school officials are joining other districts to pressure the state Department of Public Instruction to take the plunge into computer-based testing. – Janesville Gazette

♦ Funding questions may put halt to Appleton’s K-8 virtual school
Wisconsin Connections Academy, the Appleton school district’s virtual school for kindergartners through eighth-graders, could lose $2.3 million in state funding and is in jeopardy of not operating next school year because of violation of three state statutes. – Appleton Post Crescent

♦ Online High School Courses Made Available
Gov. M. Jodi Rell has announced the launch of the Connecticut Virtual Learning Center, a statewide program for high school students to take online courses. Enrollments are being accepted now for students to begin course work this month. Funded by the General Assembly, the pilot project will be available at no cost to school districts. Students will remain enrolled in their current schools, but will have the option to take online courses that meet their academic needs. – The Hartford Courant

♦ School job fair goes virtual
Is this the future of academic recruiting? In Baltimore, Anne Arundel County school officials are trying a new tack in an effort to attract highly sought-after teachers and aides during the midyear recruiting doldrums: a job fair that nobody has to attend. Through Jan. 30, school officials are accepting applications for a “virtual job fair” on the district’s Web site in hopes of hiring more special education teachers and speech, physical and occupational therapists. – Baltimore Sun