SVLC principal: ALE enrollment, waitlists and staffing needs grow as alternative programs expand

Carrie Marsh, principal at the Stillaguamish Valley Learning Center (SVLC), presented the district's annual Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) report, outlining program types, enrollment, staffing ratios and operational needs.

"We house all the ALE programs for our district," Marsh said, explaining site-based, remote and online ALE types. She reported October figures of about 321.5 full-time-equivalent (FTE) students and a headcount of 298 for students with 50% or more ALE coursework; Marsh said the total number served through SVLC was 463 when counting students who take a single course. Marsh described site-based ratios at roughly 1 certificated staff to 25 students and an AOP (online) certificated-staff ratio closer to 1:43 FTE.

Marsh described program strengths including district-approved curriculum, universal design for learning, dedicated learning consultants, a growing parent club and active student leadership. She also flagged operational needs: an academic counselor to support high school transcripts and student needs, more paraeducator support for supervision (particularly lunch), and an on-site nurse to support students with individual health plans.

Marsh said some grade levels have waitlists (kindergarten and some middle school grades) and that the online program is at its single-district enrollment cap for out-of-district students. The presentation noted recent curriculum changes (migration to Edmentum Courseware) and cited active course/session/enrollment counts and course-completion metrics.

Next steps: staff will monitor caseload growth, pursue additional staffing, and revisit facility needs as the program expands.