An effort by several charter schools to add online courses to their offerings has been postponed by the Board of Education amid concerns about legality and costs.

Advocates said e-courses offer a way to address unmet educational needs, particularly in rural areas.

A board committee said this week that they aren't saying no, but need time to seek more information and a legal opinion, especially as it relates to federal mandates under the No Child Left Behind Act.

"As more schools become involved, the board has to step back and take a look," said board member Denise Matsumoto. "Is this legal? Let's wait and research it and then be confident to say yes. It has nothing to do with the money. Our kuleana is the legality. ... We're not trying to pick on the charter schools."

There already is an e-school in Hawai'i — the Myron B. Thompson charter school — but the new request brings into question how Hawai'i plans to handle and monitor the whole movement of e-education from kindergarten through Grade 12. Other states are grappling with the same issue.

With the Department of Education paying $5,604 per student to charter schools now, the enrollment of students in online courses at more schools could open the door to a vast increase in unbudgeted education costs.

"This could have tremendous financial impact on us," said board member Karen Knudsen. "I would feel more comfortable if we step back and look at what other states are doing, so we don't have to revoke some licenses."

But the charter schools said it was their responsibility and mandate to innovate.

"We should have the right to try that in our curriculum," said Keola Nakanishi, director of Halau Ku Mana in Manoa. "I think it's about money."

While it's unclear if the charter schools would be eligible for the monetary commitment for additional students studying through the Internet, the DOE currently pays the same dollar amount per student to Myron B. Thompson Academy, which offers an entire e-curriculum and provides all of its 800 students their own laptop computer.

Matsumoto noted that because this year's budget is set, the department would have to appeal to the Legislature for more money to pay for these additional costs. Board member Herbert Watanabe agreed that because the school year is under way, additional appropriations should be sought next year.

In a meeting that became contentious at times, the board also warned one charter school that has implemented some e-curriculum that it could be doing so illegally.

"If the board hasn't approved it, you're doing it at your own risk," board chairman Breene Harimoto told Gene Zarro, school board chairman of the Kihei High School charter school.

Zarro said the option to provide e-education is already part of his school's implementation plan.

"You have an opportunity to get two or three little test cases going here," Zarro told the committee members. "It's a very safe way to go," he said, adding that there are educational needs going unmet in his community, and this is a way to meet them — by offering further outreach in rural areas.

Three charter schools — Connections in Hilo, Halau Ku Mana in Manoa and Kua o Ka La in Pahoa on the Big Island — and potentially a fourth, would offer e-courses under the auspices of an umbrella organization called the Hawai'i Virtual Academy. The latter already has a Web site advertising e-offerings — which also concerned board chairman Harimoto because it has not yet been approved.

The schools want to offer curriculum provided by a private vendor called K12 headquartered in McLean, Va., which operates in 19 virtual schools in 13 other states, as well as in classrooms, and serves 20,000-25,000 children with distance learning. K12 charges about $1,500 per student for their curriculum. Chief executive officer Ron Packard said the Hawai'i schools he's working with have a couple hundred students interested in these programs.

"In looking at what's available in virtual education, these people are at the top of the list," said Steve Hirakami, director of Hawai'i Academy of Arts & Sciences, a charter school in Pahoa that is also considering e-courses.

"These people have it ironed out in many states."

But board members suggested that an alternate approach would be to work through the Myron B. Thompson Academy in choosing virtual education courses — homegrown vs. cookie-cutter, as they put it.

"The old saying is 'buy local','' said board member Mary Cochran.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.