High school proposes off‑site alternative program; board given $248,000 full‑model estimate

Principal Laura Tarlo presented the high school needs assessment and a framework for an off‑site alternative program at the March 19 board meeting.

Tarlo said the district has grown some student cohorts and that the high school is largely staffed. She described programmatic asks rather than staffing gaps and urged the board to consider an off‑site alternative program for freshmen and sophomores that would combine smaller‑group instruction with embedded career‑readiness experiences through partnerships with local employers. Tarlo said the “full model” is roughly $248,000, including “two and a half” staff positions plus supplies and campus safety support.

Tarlo tied the program design to a broader strategy: use an alternative setting to offer credit‑bearing, career‑oriented instruction so students who struggle in large classrooms can transition into CTE or other pathways in upper grades. She said the high school has “a plan” to pair the program with corporate partners and the Connect Center and that staff have discussed potential funding routes and timelines. “We believe we've come up with a framework that would work very well,” Tarlo said.

The board discussed purchasing Yondr phone‑free pouches and iPads for D and L (English learner) students and Securly content‑filtering software. Tarlo and other staff said iPad purchases for D and L students could be funded through a grant and that vendor lead times could be “a few weeks” if the board chooses to act this year. Tarlo advocated for a strategic communications rollout with parent involvement for any phone‑free or device policy changes.

Ending: The board agreed the alternative‑program concept merits further budget work; staff will present cost models and implementation details during upcoming budget discussions.