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Orchard assistant urges board to keep small-school environment for vulnerable students
Summary
An Orchard assistant said the small, in-person Orchard setting transforms students who struggle at large high school and urged the board not to move the program; she described the neighborhood-school role for families.
During public comment, Carol Bolinberg (speaker 20), an assistant at Orchard Center High School, described the program's impact on students and urged the board to preserve the small-school environment. "My name is Carol Bolinberg, and I'm an assistant at Orchard Center High School," she said, and added that Orchard staff help students who arrive in distress to become "confident, motivated individuals who have worked hard to graduate."
Bolinberg told the board many Orchard students come from nearby neighborhoods and that the school's small size and individualized attention foster belonging and improved outcomes. She warned the loss of Orchard's neighborhood presence would remove a community anchor and urged the board to prioritize those student needs when making budget decisions.
Board members acknowledged the value staff described and asked administrators to present clear transition plans and individualized pathways if consolidation were to move forward.
