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Parkway board hears Fern Ridge review; presenters propose hybrid and credit-recovery pilots
Summary
District staff presented a multi-year evaluation of Fern Ridge, saying many incoming students need social-emotional, executive-functioning and credit-recovery support and proposing a hybrid (4 days remote/1 day onsite) pilot, credit-recovery split-day options, and a fixed staffing/budget model to stabilize services.
Parkway School District staff presented a comprehensive evaluation of Fern Ridge at the April 15 board meeting and recommended pilots and staffing changes aimed at keeping higher-risk students on track to graduate.
Lindsay Perkins, director of choice programs, and Sarah Power, Fern Ridge coordinator, said analysis of recent application and enrollment data showed consistent student needs: 27% of applicants over the past four years reported a low sense of belonging, 44% needed goal-setting and executive-functioning support, and nearly 60% required credit recovery to stay on track for graduation. Presenters described Fern Ridge as a safety net that often boosts-credit accumulation in 11th and 12th grades.
To address those needs, district staff outlined two pilot programs: a hybrid instructional model offering four days of remote learning and one on-site day to increase flexibility, and a split-day credit-recovery model that combines virtual credit-recovery with morning in-person Fern Ridge classes before students return to their home schools in the afternoon. Perkins and Power also recommended an enhanced advisory curriculum focused on social-emotional learning and a proposal for a fixed staffing and budgetary model "independent of fluctuating enrollment numbers" to allow long-term instructional planning.
Board members asked detailed questions about dual enrollment for arts and music, the availability of honors or AP coursework for high-achieving students who might still benefit from Fern Ridge, capacity and wait lists, and how the district plans to measure outcomes after entry. Presenters said some students dual-enroll at home schools for specialized courses, reported a working capacity near 95 students (they said the cap was moved to 100), and said current outcome tracking relies on Panorama and MTSS data while additional measures are being developed.
No formal policy or budget vote occurred at the meeting; staff asked the board to consider the pilots and potential budget models in future deliberations.
