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Astoria SD 1 outlines plan to boost enrollment in Astoria Choice Academy
Summary
District staff told the board they plan targeted outreach to homeschool and charter families, propose a dedicated on-site position for the online program, and weighed a $60,000'$100,000 external marketing effort against in-house options.
Presenter told the Astoria SD 1 board that the district will concentrate its enrollment goal on retaining or increasing current numbers and focus initial effort on outreach to homeschool and charter families.
The board heard that the district has identified roughly 22 students currently associated with its online academy and that, across high school hybrid and full-time students, about 29 students access the Astoria Choice Academy in some capacity. "We have 22 students in our online academy," Presenter said, noting some students attend campus while a small number are exempted from in-person requirements.
Why it matters: board members and staff said knowing which families are enrolled outside the district gives the district a chance to re-engage them. Presenter asked board members to help convene parent groups and offered to coordinate meetings so outreach can be scheduled before the November board meeting.
Program structure and supports: staff described current staffing as a mix of part-time and full-time certified teachers supporting different grade bands and said the district does not have a staff member dedicated solely to supervising the online academy. "If we want to make this work, I need a dedicated person," Presenter said, urging that the district consider assigning a staff member to recruitment and ongoing parent engagement.
Options discussed: Presenter outlined program features that could help recruitment ' on-site support in an empty classroom at Grama, more flexible course scheduling, monthly engagement activities (museum visits and similar events), and improved technology support such as Edmentum access. The board also discussed whether to hire an outside marketing firm to rebrand and run focus groups; Presenter said firms quoted between $60,000 and $100,000, and that an in-house plan would cost less but be less comprehensive.
Board reaction and next steps: members agreed to pursue parent meetings and asked Presenter to draft a staffing proposal and a lower-cost marketing plan to return for board review. No formal motion or vote was recorded during the discussion. The board directed staff to continue outreach and to attempt to schedule parent meetings before the November meeting.
Ending: The board moved on to other agenda items after agreeing staff would return with a clearer staffing recommendation and outreach schedule.
