Coos Bay SD 9 touts growth in alternative programs and recommends strengthening existing services

The Coos Bay SD 9 board heard a comprehensive update on alternative education on Tuesday as district staff recommended focusing resources on expanding and optimizing existing programs rather than creating new, costly standalone sites.

Dr. Crook, who led the presentation, said the district’s alternative-education portfolio — including Destinations Academy, CBD9 online and other hybrid pathways — has grown substantially. "This is our fastest growing area," he said, noting Destinations recorded an 87.5% graduation rate and an online-completion rate of 92% on one platform.

Officials told the board that applications for alternatives climbed from about 341 last year to roughly 505–510 this year. They described the mix of reasons families seek alternatives: mental-health and anxiety concerns, scheduling needs for work or caregiving, chronic health conditions, safety or bullying concerns, and credit recovery or acceleration for high-school students. "Mental health and anxiety is a big, big part of it," Dr. Crook said.

The presentation included program-by-program findings. Kayla explained CBD9 online is a K–12 flexible pathway with full-time and hybrid options; the district is shifting some contracts to monthly billing to match the fluid needs of families. A Madison pilot classroom using Aselis curriculum for K–2 students showed promising academic and social-emotional gains, according to Kari, the pilot teacher: students were completing assigned work, receiving tailored interventions and demonstrating SEL growth.

Staff also reviewed staffing ratios and cost constraints. Including preschool, the district-wide alternative-education staff-to-student ratio is roughly 1:15; excluding Little Pirates preschool, the alternative programs average about 1:23. Officials warned that standalone programs — a proposed K–8 in-person alternative or a regional therapeutic 'bridge' program — would be difficult to sustain under current budgets and modest cohort sizes. The board heard that a regional therapeutic model explored with the ESD could cost “upwards of $100,000 per student” depending on services and placement.

The business office modeled child-care costs for a possible staff-daycare program and found per-classroom operating costs in the six-figure range; Marina said such a program would likely require subsidies or partner funding to be viable.

The superintendent and Dr. Crook recommended a measured approach: continue targeted investments in tier-three supports, monitor the Madison pilot through year-end, pursue partnerships with the ESD for specialized placements if financially feasible, and conduct annual monitoring of outcomes and demand. "Our recommendation is optimizing existing programs and pouring into those services," Dr. Crook told trustees.

The board did not vote on new standalone programs. Instead, trustees asked staff to return with additional monitoring data and cost scenarios for any expanded facilities or regional partnerships.