After paying fees of more than $1 million over two years for student enrollment in cyber schools, Manheim Central board members agreed Aug. 16 to join the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13's Virtual Academy.

The district will pay $51,100 annually to be part of the Virtual Academy. District students can enroll this year as full-time virtual students and earn Manheim Central diplomas upon graduation, district officials said.

In an email sent Aug. 22, Superintendent William Clark said for the 2009-10 school year, the district had 67 students attending cyber schools at a cost of $523,601. Last year, the district paid $576,462 to cyber schools.

Virtual Academy classes will mirror the brick-and-mortar classes offered at the district, Clark said. He said Manheim Central is one of 11 districts in IU13 to join the academy program.

Board member Holly Holsinger said students at cyber schools had lower test scores than traditional students in the school district. Holsinger also said that the military does not look positively on graduates of cyber schools.

The board did not elaborate on how this virtual school will differ from offerings at cyber schools. Clark said in his email that "each instructor is considered to be highly qualified as per Pennsylvania standards."

Edison Learning provides the online teachers. The courses are offered by Aventa Learning.

A list of course offerings is available at http://www.iu13.org/sites/L....