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Board hears detailed update on William Randolph alternative programs; staff ask for more CTE, nursing support
Summary
School leaders told the Asheville City Schools board that the William Randolph campus — home to the ECA high‑school alternative program and Cougar Academy middle‑school program — is growing in enrollment and attendance but faces data, staffing and service‑delivery challenges; presenters asked the board to consider whether the campus should have its own school number and requested more CTE offerings and a nurse.
Carrie Buchanan and assistant principal Sybil Jefferson presented a comprehensive update on programming at the William Randolph campus, which currently houses two distinct programs: ECA (a high‑school alternative program) and Cougar Academy (a middle‑school alternative program). ECA has about 49 students this semester and Cougar Academy about six, the presenters said. Buchanan said the programs are staffed with core teachers, a CTE teacher, a credit‑recovery staff member and student supports, and that enrollment is growing.
Buchanan highlighted program demographics and supports: she said ECA’s current student body is roughly 58 percent African American, 8 percent white, 12 percent multiracial, 10 percent Latinx and 10 percent Pacific Islander/Micronesian. She told the board the program has strengthened community partnerships, offers internships and work‑based learning through its CTE program, and is working with AB Tech on pathways that could help students stay on…
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