Butler County Community College is spending some of its federal COVID-19 relief grant to hire a firm to update its online classes, which saw a surge in enrollment in the fall semester.

The BC3 board of trustees unanimously voted Wednesday to spend $71,325 from its Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) grant to hire Blackboard, a national education technology company, for electronic learning course development.

Belinda Richardson, vice president of academic affairs, told the board that all of the school's 150 online classes are being reviewed for academic integrity and accessibility.

Blackboard will review the classes and propose updates and other recommendations that staff will consider, she said.

Fall enrollment declined this year due to COVID-19, but the number of students who took online courses increased from 876 last fall to 1,088 this year.

BC3 received $941,416 in CARES funding and spent about $400,000 on technology and personal protection equipment.

In other business, the board approved a 10-year lease extension for its LindenPointe campus in Mercer County at the current cost of $25,000 a month.

The lease is with the BC3 Education Foundation, which owns the property. The site opened in 1995. The current building owned by the foundation opened in 2011.

When the spring 2021 semester begins Jan. 19, all classes will be online. Spring enrollment is more than 20% below this spring's numbers, but officials said they are hoping for a surge in enrollment before classes start.