School board: no major ALE mergers next year; work group, marketing and facilities review planned

At a regular meeting of the Richland School Board, administrators and board members moved to delay any major changes to the district’s alternative learning environments (ALEs) for the 2025–26 school year and to form a work group this fall to study long-term options.

The district’s superintendent, Katrina Redinger, told staff, families and students that the district will not merge or shut programs next year and that future decisions will be made through a transparent process involving ALE staff, union partners and families. Redinger said the district will prioritize marketing, look for facility partnerships and explore asynchronous online models such as Spokane Virtual Learning as an additional option for students.

Why it matters: Alternative learning programs — including 3 Rivers HomeLink, Pacific Crest Online Academy (PCOA) and River’s Edge High School — serve families seeking nontraditional schedules or instructional models. Board members and parents said the programs have waiting lists and that changes, if handled poorly, could disrupt students already enrolled.

Parent Mark Cornelison, whose children attend HomeLink, said he was concerned by rumors the program might be merged or closed. "Rumors that include shutting down the secondary grades or merging HomeLink with another ALE school ... I'm concerned and wonder why HomeLink is in the conversation of meeting any major changes at all," Cornelison said, adding that HomeLink "runs in the black every year and sends money back to the school district" and that the program has strong family support and long waiting lists.

A senior student at HomeLink, Lena Olten, told the board she values the school’s "community" and supportive relationships with teachers and counselors. "There is such a strong connection between the teachers and the students at HomeLink that makes it feel more like a family rather than a school," Olten said.

Board members who spoke during the discussion urged preserving the programs while removing silos between them and improving enrollment outreach. Board member Rick praised HomeLink leadership and called the program "a shining example of how parent partnerships can create strong, supportive educational experiences." Several board members said they opposed merging ALE programs and emphasized expansion, marketing and coordination instead.

District staff explained facility and funding limits. Redinger noted the district’s recent bond measure did not pass and that moving programs frequently requires infrastructure changes and costs. She said the district is researching facility partnerships (for example with CBC, referenced in the discussion) and will look for ways to expand capacity without unilateral action from district office staff.

Staff also said they will revert current ALE enrollment timing to established practice for the remainder of this school year (high school enrollment windows open in March and middle school in April) and will publish transfer and enrollment timelines online. Paul (staff member) confirmed there is not currently a waiting list for PCOA and that the district will "finish out the school year" under current procedures.

The board discussed creating an ALE director position or other district-level role to coordinate funding rules, program rules and best practices across the district’s ALEs. Several board members recommended that person have direct experience running an ALE program.

Ending: The board directed administrators to convene a fall work group with ALE representatives, labor partners and families to study marketing, facilities and funding options, and to report back before any reorganization would be proposed. No formal changes were approved at the meeting; the district said it will provide ongoing updates to ALE staff and families and post OSPI guidance on the district website as it becomes available.