Gallup-McKinley board hears early report on RISE Online Academy rollout with 751 enrolled

Todd Krushkin, a provider representative for Graduation Alliance, told the Gallup-McKinley County Schools Board of Education on Thursday that RISE Online Academy had enrolled 751 students in its first four days and was actively working through about 100 additional enrollment documents. He said about 184185 of the students are new to the districtthe rest transferred from the districts prior online provider.

The report matters because the online program serves students across Gallup-McKinley County, including many Native American and rural families, and because the district drew a sharp contrast between the new providerGraduation Allianceand the previous contractor on communication and special-education responsiveness.

Krushkin said the provider has state-certified teachers, academic coaches assigned to every student, school counselors and 24/7 virtual tutoring. He told the board Graduation Alliance has sent more than 31,000 outbound calls and 23,000 text messages statewide as part of outreach and that the vendor has pushed out laptops and is using multiple wireless solutions to address connectivity gaps. "AT&T, we actually have over 500 students using AT&T," he said. "T-Mobile, about 177. Wewe're actually experimenting with Starlink; about 10 kids are using it." Krushkin said Starlink hardware and service cost about $1,000 per student for a year when it is needed.

Board members asked for concrete staffing and special-education numbers. "I can get those numbers to you," Krushkin said, adding he expected to provide an exact breakdown of teachers and counselors after the districts 10th-day enrollment review. A board member asked for a written or video update within 30 days; the board also asked for periodic reports on student-teacher ratios.

Superintendent Mike Hyatt praised the new providers initial responsiveness. "Theyre honest players in this space," Hyatt told the board, saying district staff had been meeting regularly with Graduation Alliance and that the vendors staff-level communication contrasted with problems the district saw last year. Board members also urged the provider to do more in-person outreach to tribal chapters and rural communities, noting some families prefer paper and face-to-face contact over social media.

On special education, Krushkin said the providers director of special education was working with the districts special-education team to review individualized education programs and to ensure compliance, but he did not give a final count of special-education students in the program.

District members raised concerns about the previous contractors reported problemsparents saying they had been dropped from courses or had difficulty contacting staffand said they would monitor whether Graduation Alliance sustains higher levels of parental communication and support. Krushkin said Graduation Alliance will monitor staff-to-student ratios and provide updates, and he offered to return with regular reports.

What happens next: the board requested additional written detail on staffing and special-education supports after the programs 10th-day enrollment figures are finalized and asked the provider for follow-up reports on student progress and connectivity solutions.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A with Todd Krushkin, provider representative, Graduation Alliance; remarks from Superintendent Mike Hyatt; board member questions and requests recorded in the meeting transcript.