MONROE - The Monroe school district will begin investigating the feasibility of moving the Monroe Alternative Charter School to within the confines of the Monroe High School building.
Superintendent Larry Brown said the district will put together a group to begin studying the possibility of having a "school-within-a-school" model for the alternative school. The alternative school, located in a former strip mall near Monroe Middle School, currently has about 40 high school students enrolled.
It will be a long process: Brown said he doesn't expect to come back with a recommendation on the plan until next April.
"There are hundreds, thousands of questions that have to be answered," he said.
The greatest benefit of moving the alternative school to MHS is an increased opportunity for alternative school students to take courses only offered at MHS, particularly vocational education and fine arts classes. Currently, a few students travel from the alternative school to MHS to take a class, but having both schools at the same location would make it more convenient for students to take advantage of more educational opportunities, he said.
Secondarily, having both schools at the same location could be more cost effective, Brown said.
One potential problem to moving the school is how students themselves feel about it, Brown said, noting "there could be some anxiety for some of our kids."
All those factors will be taken into account, he said.
One thing that won't happen is eliminating the alternative school program.
"It's a very successful way to get kids a solid education," he said.
Superintendent Larry Brown said the district will put together a group to begin studying the possibility of having a "school-within-a-school" model for the alternative school. The alternative school, located in a former strip mall near Monroe Middle School, currently has about 40 high school students enrolled.
It will be a long process: Brown said he doesn't expect to come back with a recommendation on the plan until next April.
"There are hundreds, thousands of questions that have to be answered," he said.
The greatest benefit of moving the alternative school to MHS is an increased opportunity for alternative school students to take courses only offered at MHS, particularly vocational education and fine arts classes. Currently, a few students travel from the alternative school to MHS to take a class, but having both schools at the same location would make it more convenient for students to take advantage of more educational opportunities, he said.
Secondarily, having both schools at the same location could be more cost effective, Brown said.
One potential problem to moving the school is how students themselves feel about it, Brown said, noting "there could be some anxiety for some of our kids."
All those factors will be taken into account, he said.
One thing that won't happen is eliminating the alternative school program.
"It's a very successful way to get kids a solid education," he said.