TITLE 33

EDUCATION

CHAPTER 55

IDAHO DIGITAL LEARNING ACADEMY

33-5504.  Duties of the academy board of directors. The board shall be responsible for ensuring that academy procedures and courses are in compliance with the rules of the state board of education and applicable statutes of the state of Idaho. In addition, the board shall:

(1)  Recommend policies to be established by rule of the state board for effecting the purposes of this chapter.

(2)  Employ or contract with staff as necessary and purchase such supplies and equipment as are necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter, which purchases shall be exempt from the state procurement act in chapter 92, title 67, Idaho Code. The percentage of personnel costs spent on staff classified as administration shall not exceed thirty percent (30%) of the total budget.

(3)  Enter into contracts with any other governmental or public agency whereby the board agrees to render services to or for such agency in exchange for a charge reasonably calculated to cover the costs of rendering such service.

(4)  Accept, receive, and utilize any gifts, grants, or funds and personal and real property that may be donated to it for the fulfillment of the purposes outlined in this chapter.

(5)  Employ or contract with necessary faculty and teaching staff who are fully certificated Idaho teachers or administrators to design and deliver planned curriculum content. The academy shall be exempt from the provisions of sections 33-513, 33-514, 33-514A, 33-515 and 33-515A, Idaho Code, and shall be exempt from chapter 53, title 67, Idaho Code. All teaching and educational staff of the academy shall be exempt, at will employees. The number of such staff shall largely be dictated by the number of courses under development, the number of courses offered, and the number of students participating in academy programs.

(6)  Obtain office space where actual operations of the academy are conducted by academy staff.

(7)  Contract with a service provider for delivery of academy courses online which shall be accessible twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week.

(8)  Ensure that the academy is accredited as established by rule of the state board of education.

(9)  Develop policy for earning credit in courses based on mastery of the subject, demonstrated competency, and meeting the standards set for each course.

(10) Provide for articulating the content of certain high school courses with college and university courses in order to award both high school and undergraduate college credit.

(11) Develop policies and practices that provide strict application of time limits for completion of courses.

(12) Develop policies and practices on accountability, both by the student and the teacher, and in accordance with the provisions of section 33-5507, Idaho Code.

(13) Develop policies and practices that prioritize courses provided in section 33-5502, Idaho Code.

(14) Manage the moneys received by the academy.

(15) Subject to approval by the state board of education, set fees charged to any user of academy courses, including but not limited to public school districts, public charter schools, private schools, individual students, and other public or private entities. Fees for all courses required by the state department of education for graduation shall be no more than forty dollars ($40.00). Fees for all courses not required for graduation shall be at least one hundred dollars ($100). Fees shall offset the total state reimbursement, not to exceed four hundred forty-five dollars ($445). Private entities shall not receive any state reimbursement and shall be subject to the full course fee.

(16) Contract with a certified public accounting firm to conduct an annual audit of the Idaho digital learning academy.

History:

[33-5504, added 2002, ch. 105, sec. 1, p. 286; am. 2003, ch. 306, sec. 1, p. 841; am. 2005, ch. 132, sec. 2, p. 421; am. 2008, ch. 119, sec. 3, p. 334; am. 2016, ch. 289, sec. 10, p. 811; am. 2026, ch. 319, sec. 2, p. 1279.]