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Metro East Web Academy presents increase in enrollment and steady gains; leaders report high mobility and credit-recovery work
Summary
Metro East Web Academy (NEWA) told the Gresham-Barlow board it serves about 1,000 students, has a roughly 50% annual mobility rate, reported growth in graduation outcomes and documented financial reserves that meet loan covenants.
Metro East Web Academy executives told the Gresham-Barlow School District Board of Education on Feb. 5 that the online and alternative high school continues to grow and is producing measurable gains in credit accumulation and graduation outcomes.
Dr. Christina Stewart-Fine, executive director, said NEWA serves about 1,000 students in its 16th year and that roughly half of that population is new each year. She said many students arrive multiple credits behind their cohort and that the program focuses on credit recovery and wraparound supports to move students toward graduation.
"Our students often arrive behind in credits — seniors averaged about seven to eight credits behind — and our work is to accelerate credit attainment so they can graduate," Stewart-Fine said.
School testing coordinator Christine Calhoun reported that NEWA's graduation and credit data show some positive trends: ninth‑ and tenth‑grade students earned more credits per semester while enrolled at NEWA than they had at their prior schools, and the academy recorded 49 former-student completions last year (eight seven‑year graduates, seven six‑year graduates and 34 GED completers). Calhoun said the academy is tracking formative assessment growth and targeting interventions where growth fell short of prior years.
Hillary Radford, human resources and business manager, presented NEWA's financial summary: cash on hand was $5,288,732 with 242 days cash on hand; required cash on hand under the academy's loan agreement is $1.3 million and the debt service coverage ratio for FY 2023–24 was 3.72. Radford said the figures are reported annually to bond investors and show the academy is meeting current fiscal covenants.
Board members asked about the school’s expanding enrollment and why students choose the program. Stewart-Fine said intake staff report reasons including safety concerns, anxiety or depression in students’ prior settings and a need for a different learning environment. The academy's leaders emphasized ongoing efforts to expand professional development, strengthen measurable SIP goals and better document communications protocols with students and families.
The board heard that NEWA has improved staff pay in recent years, updated bylaws, and added professional development back into the budget after prior cuts. The academy also highlighted its early-college achievements: it awarded 22 associate degrees last year in addition to high-school diplomas and GEDs.
