District proposes repurposing Flex Academy to expand tailored-learning programs
Summary
District staff recommended repurposing the Flex Academy facility to expand Success Academy and other tailored learning options to serve students on wait lists, with an individual-placement plan for students who would move from Flex.
During the superintendent’s report the board reviewed the district’s Tailored Learning Options (TLO) and a staff recommendation to repurpose the Flex Academy facility to grow specialized programs under the Success Academy umbrella.
The superintendent said Success Academy, STARS and competency-based Open Doors programs have wait lists and that Flex’s current programming overlaps in some areas with other district offerings. By reallocating Flex space to Success Academy and related specialized programming the district expects to serve additional students who would otherwise be at high risk of disengaging. The superintendent said staff will conduct an intentional, individualized placement process to find suitable placements for students who might be displaced by the change.
Board members thanked staff members named in the meeting — Kurt Scheidel and Kathleen Paradis — for research and data redesign that clarified who is served by each program and supported the recommendation. The superintendent acknowledged budgetary considerations, saying that some specialized programs (for example, Lehi Academy) were high-cost per student and that changes also reflect an effort to reduce program cost-per-student while preserving services for those with the greatest needs.
The recommendation remains a proposal to the board; presenters said more detailed planning and family outreach would occur before any student is moved. The district emphasized the goal of expanding capacity for students whom conventional school settings have not served and of supporting those affected through individualized placement and supports.
