Budget cuts at the state level continue to adversely effect Polk County Schools.

When the iSchool at UNC Greensboro got the funding axe this past summer, Polk County Schools administrators were left scrambling in an attempt to fill the void for their virtual college program, resulting in an impromptu partnership with Isothermal Community College in Spindale and its Polk County campus.

The virtual college program allows high school students to take college-level courses online. Through the program, students can receive up to two years of college credit free of charge before they graduate from high school.

The new partnership with ICC and its Polk County campus met approval from the Polk County Schools Board of Education at its last meeting. Board members approved a memorandum of understanding that would allow Polk County Schools and ICC administrators to hash out an agreement to continue the virtual college with classes offered through ICC. That agreement must receive final approval from the local school board, the ICC Board of Trustees, the state board of education, the state board of community colleges and the state board of higher education.

Theres some bureaucracy to go through but when we get approval, itll be a matter of us sitting down with Isothermal and seeing what courses our students in the virtual early college program can be taking advantage of, said Polk County Schools Superintendent Bill Miller.

The state cut funding of the iSchool at UNC Greensboro this past summer, leaving virtual early college students at PCHS and staff members scrambling to fill their schedules.

It really put our students and the staff at the high school in a tough spot, said Miller. You take a program thats years in the making and, boom, its gone.

It hurt us because wed advised these students and told their parents that this would be available for them and now theyre wondering what to do.

PCHS students were able to choose from 22 different course offerings through the iSchool, which Miller said is attempting to restart with a much smaller budget and by offering a few core courses such as biology, math and physical sciences for the spring semester.

If all goes according to plan, the new partnership with ICC will also be up and running by the spring semester.

Itd taken us years to get all that in place with the iSchool, Miller said. Now, were looking at putting something similar together in just a few months with ICC.

We want to have it going by the second semester, and, hopefully, by next year it will be even better.

ICC and Polk County Schools already have a working relationship, which Miller believes will help make the working agreement for the early virtual college go more smoothly. ICCs college English course is taught on the PCHS campus and Polk County Schools faculty members are teaching web-design courses at ICC.

PCHS students can also take vocational-related courses at ICC, including welding, cosmetology and criminal justice.

Miller said he hopes the new agreement to offer the districts virtual early college program through ICC will be beneficial for the school and its Polk County campus.

I hope its going to be a benefit for them, Miller said. Weve got a lot of good students in the virtual early college and with the right courses and the right setup Id like to hope it that it would be&bsp; good for them. I hope its not just a one-way street for us.