Aloha State News

The chairman of a company providing an online learning portal argues that abandoning this tool could cost Hawaii schools $272 million.  

Department of Education Superintendent Christina Kishimoto announced in October that the state will phase out use of the Acellus learning program following an investigation into allegations that it contained age-inappropriate and offensive materials, including some deemed sexist and racist.

Roger Billings, Acellus founder and chairman, made his allegations of the possible losses in an online video message, but it is far from clear how he managed to calculate that number.

Hawaii schools have spent $2.8 million on buying licenses to use the program since April 1, according to the department. In total, 164 public schools were using the program as of last week, 106 of them elementary schools, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports.

The program will be phased out and entirely discontinued by the end of 2020-21 school year.

Billings, in his video, alleges that 421 children from four schools that suspended use of the program had enrolled in distance learning using the Acellus Learning Accelerator. He said he did the math and, as a result, Hawaii schools will lose approximately $4 million.

He then suggested that if the same percentage of children across the school system continue to use Acellus, then 19,000 students will enroll, and the Hawaii system will lose $272 million.

According to the company, the annual cost of using the program is $2,600, which means that if 19,000 students signed up the total amount would be just over $45 million for the company. 

"That will be a disaster. Schools will have to lay off so many of their wonderful teachers," Billings said of the potential exodus, adding that his company has been the focus of an "hysterical campaign not based on fact."

Billings defended his program, stating it is used by 6,000 schools across the U.S. and that "they are having so much success," including increases in graduation rates and higher standardized test scores.

Hundreds of Hawaii public schools signed up to use the program shortly after the onset of COVID-19 as online learning surged.

But a Department of Education report found that its content "discriminated against protected classes based on race, national origin, gender, religion, ethnicity and socioeconomic status."

It also revealed examples of the use of religious material, including references to “Jesus of Nazareth,” “Jesus: His Parables and Teaching,” the “Exodus” and “the Crucifixion of Jesus" without proper context. Christian views were presented as facts, the report said.

Other complaints include the misspelling and mispronunciation of Queen Liliʻuokalani, Hawaii's last monarch, and what were branded racist depictions of Black Americans and Islamophobic stereotypes.

Kishimito noted, "The HIDOE recognizes the curriculum does contain content that reviewers found acceptable and aligned to standards, and will be working with schools that use Acellus to identify and leverage such content, as appropriate."

Billings said that when concerns were raised, the company created 23 new courses and all issues were fixed. He denied, however, that any of the material used was racist or sexist.

The report said that the social studies curriculum “is nothing short of alarming from an equity perspective."

Parents reluctant to send their children to school were offered the program as the primary teaching portal, while schools used it as an add-on learning tool.