HB3307 - Illinois Virtual School Act

• Creates the Illinois Virtual School as a statewide virtual school serving kindergarten through grade 12 students and educators, funded through annual state appropriations for operations and capital needs.

• Establishes a Board of Trustees consisting of 4 K-12 representatives, 3 higher education representatives, 2 business community representatives, 2 public members, and 4 ex-officio nonvoting members from state agencies.

• Authorizes the Illinois Virtual School to offer rigorous online courses aligned to state and national standards, taught by certified and highly qualified instructors, with local schools retaining authority to approve student enrollment and issue final grades.

• Requires annual audits by the Office of the Auditor General and external program evaluations every 3 years; allows fees to be charged to schools and homeschooled families on a per-enrollment basis to cover course costs.

• Transitions the existing State Board of Education online program to the Illinois Virtual School by requiring the Board of Trustees to form within 60 days, with the new school beginning to offer courses in summer 2014 and inheriting intellectual property and physical assets from the previous program.