tHis article It was shared with 74a non-profit, independent news organization focusing on American education.
Last September, the CEO of a company that processes online payments for West Virginia’s private school selection program promised not to seek additional business until it fixed a technical glitches that led to a big backlog of orders. I did.
“Student First Technology has ensured that we will not pursue contracts with additional states until we have resolved the problems and challenges we are experiencing here in West Virginia. That’s a commitment,” said former treasurer Riley. Moore said. His comments came at a board meeting dedicated to the state’s hopeful scholarship, an educational savings account program that pays for private school tuition and homeschooling.
With more than 3,000 orders not being met in the current school year, parents forced payments from their pocket for books, tech equipment and services the state had promised to offer. Some families were unable to even download Theodore, the company’s payment platform.
Four months later, some parents using Hope Scholarship say they haven’t changed much. They still plead for customer service and purchases that are approved by some families but not others.
“From a parent’s perspective, performance has not improved significantly,” said Katie Switzer, a mother of five who shared concerns with the state last summer.
In January, others posted complaints Google’s Webstore. Parents have access to the payment platform. “Go back to last year’s system. I still don’t have access…theopai,” one parent wrote. Another said, “I scanned the cart at least 100 times and the same sentence pops up every time, ‘What an unexpected thing happened, please resubmit the cart’.” ”
Despite their commitments to West Virginia, 74 has learned that the Indiana-based company is pushing for expansion. Late autumn, The student first submitted a failed proposal to handle the spending of New Programs in Wyoming.
nThe company may take part in a run to manage Tennessee’s statewide ESA program. Fast-growing industry. Students are already managing the first Small voucher system Approximately 2,000 students from the Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga areas. law The program passed last month was statewide, where it will accept programs that serve around 20,000 students.
However, growth potential is whether students who lost a $15 million contract were first lost because they didn’t fulfill their promises, losing a $15 million contract to run Arkansas ESA program. raise questions about and meet demand.
“Evolves very quickly”
The governor’s office will not say for certain whether they plan to hold the competitive bidding process. Governor spokesperson Elizabeth Lane Johnson said on Tuesday the state board of education must first write rules for the expansion program.
She said the officials wereI met with many experienced vendors and learned how other states have successfully completed a universal school selection program. ”
Last November, Lee met Representative of ClassWalletreported at a meeting in industry leader Oklahoma City. but The student’s first CEO, Mark Duran, said the situation in Tennessee is “still unfolding” and he wants to continue serving the state.
Some observers say it’s rare for education departments to not open the process to other bids.
“This technology is evolving very quickly,” says Jim Blew, a former U.S. Department of Education official and ESA advocate who later advised ClassWallet. “If they don’t open it up to new competition, I’d be really surprised. They’re scaled up. They’re going universally.”
I am honored to join the CEO @RealdonaldTrump Today, at the White House, the Education Freedom Act (Tennessee Universal School Selection Plan) shares how it can ensure greater opportunities for students across volunteer states. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6wqjvdogsw
– Governor Bill Lee (@govbillee) January 31, 2025
if Some Republicans Follow their path, Red State is not just using the Universal Voucher Program. They reintroduced the bill in Congress to create a nationwide tax credit scholarship program. And although details have not yet been made, President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Education to use the grants Private school choices are prioritized.
“We have millions of students right now, millions of students. We live under a certain school selection program,” said Kellyanne Conway, presidential counselor for his first term. said. last month. “We know it’s effective.”
The West Virginia treasurer’s office did not answer questions about whether students first caught up with the backlog of orders. However, Duran said 74 “many changes” since last fall.
That’s when Arkansas fined students over $500,000 because they delayed delivering a “fully operational” platform. in October 8th Canceling the contract, Education Secretary Jacob Oliva told Duran that delays in processing mean that students, families and vendors are receiving “services below qualifying standards.” At the same time, West Virginia homeschooling parents were unable to order curriculum, equipment and school supplies from their children due to issues with the company’s payment system.
Funding holds can be a major setback for small businesses looking to establish themselves in the market.
When students were still first open in Arkansas, Lauren McDaniel Carter waited seven weeks after the school year began before the microschool acres received a total of about $23,000 payments. All but three of the 26 students working from their homes in northeastern Arkansas participated in the state’s Education Freedom Accounts program. She ran the school and had to get a $50,000 loan to pay small staff.
“Big, more”
The state replaced students first Class walletsigned a contract in the first year of the program.
Duran, the student’s first CEO, did not answer specific questions about the status of the West Virginia order, but his team said, “.”We are constantly improving our operations. ”
“It’s still going strong,” he said. “We’re ready to grow and grow even more.”
The company currently has over 35 staff and recently hired Andrew Nelms. All children, as new head of the government. other New recruiting Includes Vice President of Operations, Software Engineers and Director of Customer Success.
Duran said the additional personnel would allow the company to “support more programs across the country.”
An entrepreneur, Duran grew up in northern Michigan, where his mother taught him while building a large network of homeschooling families. Flexibility, he said, allowed him to spend time with his father, a home builder, and sparked his business career.
He got his start in the selection division of private schools in Indiana.
Indiana’s “education freedom policy people” encouraged them to infiltrate the ESA market, he said. He was further inspired after attending a meeting at Excelline in 2020 in Florida. There, they were mixed with voucher supporters who saw the pandemic turmoil as an opportunity to expand their private school choices.
“We saw a bigger picture,” he said. Among lawmakers, “there was a great driving force to unlock more money… to send it to families through these various programs.”
