Erika Donalds, a former school board member and the wife of Florida U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds, recently launched a virtual charter school called Optima Classical Academy.
Erika and her husband have been active in the fight to expand the reach of charter schools. Byron Donalds, while serving in the Florida House was an enthusiastic supporter of Governor DeSantis’ school choice proposals.
Erika Donalds has served as the vice-chair of the Collier County School Board and is described as a “relentless advocate for charter schools and non-public education.” During her time as an elected school official, she led the conservative Florida Coalition of School Board members and pressed for school board term limits. More recently, she started the School Choice Movement, an organization aimed at paving the path for more school options for parents.
“My time on the School Board really led me to conclude that the best prescription for school reform is the free market,” said Donalds.
Optima Classical Academy is a tuition-free virtual reality public school for 3rd-8th grade Florida students. The school uses VR technology to solve the challenges of disengaged, unsocialized scholars. The school combines VR technology with a classical education model.
Given the sudden use of online learning, Donalds believes that virtual reality can help schools do online education better and enhance the students’ experience.
“Students in an Oculus headset feels like they’re sitting in a classroom with a teacher… and they can build community…they can also be transported to other classroom environments like on the mood, or the constitutional convention or Pompeii here they can be immersed in the experience,” said Donalds, the president and CEO of the Optima Foundation.
The school launch was announced last late year and a virtual press conference was held last week. The charter school is accepting prospective students for the 2022-23 school year. Parents of any child in 3rd to 8th grade eligible for a public school in Florida can apply online. A lottery will be held at a later date to choose pupils. Tuition for accepted students will be funded by a grant awarded to Collier County by the state.
Adam Mangana, executive director of Optima Domi, said part of the reason this endeavor can move forward right now is the reduced cost of virtual reality technology. Headsets will be provided to students at no charge to the family, so long as they are satisfied with the $300 Oculus technology.
“That’s the equivalent of buying every student a Google Chromebook,” he said. The same technology a few years ago might have cost thousands of dollars per headset.
Based on information provided by the school, the operating organization holds a charter based in Collier County and can only serve students in Florida. Students eligible for public school in Florida can put their names in the lottery. The school plans to cap enrollment at 35. This is higher than Florida’s class-size restrictions in public schools but much lower than Florida virtual schools.
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Steve Stewart is a senior contributor at The Florida Capital Star. Email tips to [email protected].
