Virginia Open Education Foundation

The Virginia Open Education Foundation (VOEF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation focused on expanding open education in Virginia, particularly for K–12 students. Its work centers on the development and adoption of educational materials that can be accessed, adapted, distributed, and reused under open licenses rather than being controlled exclusively through conventional commercial textbook arrangements. The foundation’s principal concept was a Virginia Open Textbook Project. VOEF sought to help create a Creative Commons-based repository of instructional resources supported by public and private funding and aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning. The proposed model combined online access with print-on-demand production, allowing school divisions to use digital materials while retaining the option of obtaining physical copies. This approach was intended to reduce textbook and curriculum costs, broaden student access, accelerate the distribution of updated content, and give local school systems greater influence over the materials used in classrooms. VOEF also became involved in Virginia policymaking on open educational resources. In January 2007, it worked with State Delegate Christopher Peace on a proposal for a General Assembly joint resolution that would have created a subcommittee to study implementation of open education across the Commonwealth. That proposal was ultimately replaced by an advisory committee on open educational resources within the Joint Commission on Technology and Science. The committee began meeting in Richmond in June 2007 and examined issues including affordability, access, electronic distribution, and print-on-demand delivery. During the 2008 legislative session, VOEF contributed to efforts to remove statutory barriers that treated textbooks primarily as paper-bound products. Its proposal to Delegate Peace helped lead to Virginia House Bill 137, developed through work involving the Virginia Department of Education. The legislation broadened the definition of textbooks to include electronic versions. It passed unanimously in the recorded votes described in the foundation’s reference material and was signed by Governor Tim Kaine on March 7, 2008. In 2009, VOEF worked with Peace on two additional legislative proposals. House Bill 1940 addressed the possible creation of open education resource centers that could receive either public or private funding, subject to a two-year sunset provision if funding was not provided. House Bill 1941 sought to encourage state-produced educational materials to be released under Creative Commons licensing. These proposals reflected VOEF’s broader strategy: combining nonprofit advocacy, public policy, open licensing, and technology-enabled distribution to change how educational content is produced and procured. The foundation is associated with Mark Burnet, identified in reference material as its director and as the Technology Director of Middlesex County Public Schools. Publicly available material supplied for this entry does not establish a complete organizational history, current program portfolio, operating budget, or present-day activity level. Accordingly, VOEF’s current status and continuing operations remain unclear.

The Virginia Open Education Foundation was established as a Virginia-focused nonprofit organization advocating the use of openly licensed educational content. Its stated audience was the Commonwealth’s K–12 students, and its work addressed both the practical cost of instructional materials and the legal and institutional systems through which schools acquire them. VOEF’s central program concept was the Virginia Open Textbook Project. The project envisioned a Creative Commons repository containing educational resources developed with public or private support and aligned with Virginia’s Standards of Learning. Rather than limiting distribution to conventional printed textbooks, the model would make materials available online through content-management systems and allow schools to produce paper copies through print-on-demand services. The foundation presented open licensing as a way to lower expenses, improve access, support adaptation, and give individual school systems more control over instructional content. The organization’s advocacy moved into state policy during the 2007 legislative period. In January of that year, VOEF worked with Delegate Christopher Peace on a proposed joint resolution that would have created a General Assembly subcommittee to consider how Virginia could implement open education. The proposal was not adopted in its original form. Instead, an open educational resources advisory committee was established within the Joint Commission on Technology and Science. The committee’s first meeting took place in Richmond on June 20, 2007. Topics included the potential to reduce costs, reach more learners, and distribute materials electronically or through print-on-demand systems. For the 2008 session, a fuller subcommittee process examined obstacles in textbook production and procurement for both K–12 and higher education. VOEF submitted a proposal to Peace that contributed to work by the Virginia Department of Education on House Bill 137. The measure changed the legal definition of textbooks so that electronic versions could qualify, addressing restrictions that had favored paper-bound volumes. The bill passed unanimously in the votes described in the available reference material and was signed by Governor Tim Kaine on March 7, 2008. VOEF continued its legislative agenda in January 2009. House Bill 1940 proposed authorizing open education resource centers that could be funded privately or publicly, while providing that the authorization would expire after two years if no funding were made available. House Bill 1941 proposed encouraging the release of educational materials produced by the state under Creative Commons licenses. Together, the bills represented an attempt to institutionalize open-resource production and clarify the licensing framework for publicly produced content. Mark Burnet is identified as the foundation’s director and as Technology Director of Middlesex County Public Schools. Beyond this association and the legislative activity described above, the supplied sources provide limited information about VOEF’s incorporation date, funding, staffing, completed resource catalog, or current operations. The organization’s historical significance in the available record lies primarily in its effort to connect open-education principles with Virginia textbook law, state procurement practices, and technology-enabled distribution.

• 2009

  Open resource center and licensing proposals introduced

  [1]Virginia Open Education Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  VOEF worked with Delegate Christopher Peace on proposals concerning open education resource centers and Creative Commons licensing for state-produced educational materials.

• 2008

  Electronic materials recognized within Virginia’s textbook framework

  [1]Virginia Open Education Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  House Bill 137 broadened the definition of textbooks to include electronic versions and was signed by Governor Tim Kaine on March 7.

• 2007

  Proposal for a Virginia open-education study body

  [1]Virginia Open Education Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  VOEF worked with Delegate Christopher Peace on a proposal for a General Assembly joint subcommittee to examine open-education implementation in Virginia.

• 2007

  Open educational resources advisory committee begins meeting

  [1]Virginia Open Education Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  An advisory committee within the Joint Commission on Technology and Science held its first meeting in Richmond on June 20 to examine open educational resources.

A nonprofit open-education advocate seeking to make Virginia-aligned instructional content more affordable, adaptable, accessible, and locally controlled.

• Open educational resources

  Virginia Open Textbook Project

  VOEF’s principal program concept was a Creative Commons-based collection of educational materials aligned with Virginia’s Standards of Learning. The intended system would provide online access through content-management platforms while supporting print-on-demand production for schools that required physical copies. The project was designed to improve affordability, access, adaptability, and local control over K–12 instructional content.

• 2009

  Advocacy for open resource centers and Creative Commons licensingStrategy

  Background

  VOEF sought mechanisms that could support the production and release of openly licensed educational content.

  Action taken

  It worked with Delegate Christopher Peace on House Bill 1940 concerning open education resource centers and House Bill 1941 concerning Creative Commons licensing for state-produced materials.

  Aftermath

  The available source describes the proposals but does not establish their final legislative outcomes.

  Source

• 2008

  Support for electronic textbook recognitionStrategy

  Background

  Traditional textbook definitions and procurement practices could restrict the use of electronic instructional materials.

  Action taken

  VOEF submitted a proposal to Delegate Christopher Peace that contributed to House Bill 137, which included electronic versions within Virginia’s textbook definition.

  Aftermath

  The bill passed unanimously in the votes described in the available reference material and was signed by Governor Tim Kaine on March 7, 2008.

  Source

• 2007

  Shift from a proposed legislative subcommittee to an advisory committeeStrategy

  Background

  VOEF and Delegate Christopher Peace initially proposed a General Assembly joint subcommittee to study open-education implementation.

  Action taken

  The original proposal was replaced by an open educational resources advisory committee within the Joint Commission on Technology and Science.

  Aftermath

  The advisory committee began meeting in Richmond on June 20, 2007, with discussions focused on cost, access, and electronic or print-on-demand distribution.

  Source

• 2009

  VOEF supports proposals for open education resource centers and Creative Commons licensing[1]Virginia Open Education Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  VOEF worked with Delegate Christopher Peace on House Bills 1940 and 1941. The proposals addressed the creation of publicly or privately funded open education resource centers and the release of state-produced educational materials under Creative Commons licenses.

• 2008

  Virginia expands its statutory definition of textbooks[1]Virginia Open Education Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  House Bill 137 redefined textbooks to include electronic versions, helping remove restrictions associated with paper-only textbook definitions. The bill was signed by Governor Tim Kaine on March 7, 2008, following work involving VOEF, Delegate Christopher Peace, and the Virginia Department of Education.

• 2007

  VOEF collaborates on Virginia open-education legislative proposal[1]Virginia Open Education Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  The foundation worked with Delegate Christopher Peace on a proposal to establish a General Assembly subcommittee examining the implementation of open education in Virginia. The proposal was later replaced by an advisory committee within the Joint Commission on Technology and Science.

• 2007

  Virginia open educational resources advisory committee begins work[1]Virginia Open Education Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  An advisory committee on open educational resources held its first meeting in Richmond on June 20, addressing the potential for lower costs, broader access, electronic delivery, and print-on-demand educational materials.

1. 1Virginia Open Education Foundationen.wikipedia.org