Alt Ed principal Gary Lewis reports attendance improvements, flags first-period tardiness as key problem

Gary Lewis, principal for the districts alternative-education campus, told trustees the alternative program (three daytime programs on one site) has a daytime capacity of 68 students and current enrollment around 51. Lewis described a programmatic shift to a big-picture learning model and said the campus set three goals tied to the district LCAP: a 5% annual reduction in chronic absenteeism, a 5% annual increase in graduation rate until reaching 90%, and keeping suspensions below 6%.

Lewis said the district has seen notable attendance improvements at Shelter Cove and Lighthouse, describing roughly a 15% reduction in chronic-absence rates so far this year at those sites. He pointed to first-period tardiness as the biggest attendance driver and said daily-contact analysis shows students often arrive but not for the full day: “That tells us that students are coming. Theyre not necessarily coming for the whole day,” Lewis said, arguing the school should target tardiness and first-period engagement for the next steps.

Trustees and staff asked about start times, cohort tracking and how the program measures success beyond discipline metrics. Lewis and staff described increased dual-enrollment college opportunities, internship growth (two added in one day during the reporting period) and the campuss restorative-practices approach; student testimony from senior Jacob Puttaba illustrated a pathway from disengagement to steady attendance and employment after joining Noyo.