Ryan Aument believes online learning is the future of public education in Pennsylvania.

That's why Aument, a Republican state House member from Landisville, is proposing legislation to establish a database of state-approved computer-based courses in all subjects for students in grades three to 12.

The legislation would mandate that public schools make the courses available to students by the 2015-16 school year, but districts and schools would control how many pupils could enroll and at what cost.

House Bill 983 was submitted last week to the state House Education Committee for review, and Aument is hoping it comes up for a vote before the Legislature adopts the state's 2013-14 budget in the summer.

The legislation is backed by other Lancaster County lawmakers, including Republican Reps. Bryan Cutler, Dave Hickernell, Gordon Denlinger and Keith Greiner.

Aument said the bill is designed to spur more schools to offer online instruction to their students.

"I really think that outstanding professional educators leveraging technology has the potential to greatly improve student outcomes," he said.

Aument supports programs like Open Campus PA, a venture involving Manheim Township, Penn Manor and Hempfield school districts sharing resources to provide online instruction to students from all three districts.

Other public schools in Lancaster County offer their own online programs or participate in Virtual Solutions, a cyber education program provided by Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13.

But not every district in the state has the capability to offer its students computer-based instruction, which can benefit pupils who struggle in a traditional school setting, he said.

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Online education gets boost from Aument