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Alternative School bears brunt of woes

By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
The Alternative School has become the "whipping boy" lately in discussions throughout the Stevens Point Area School District.

In recent referendum issues, some opponents stated they felt the Alternative School program should be dropped. Then questions about the condition of Emerson School, which houses the program, led to consideration of constructing a new building for the program, even though new construction was defeated in referendum issues.

The Alternative High School started in 1988 to address the situation of students "falling through the cracks" in the traditional education program, harming the students, the school system and the community.

Because state statutes require school districts to provide educational opportunities to students until they are at least age 18, the Stevens Point district offers the Alternative School.

"If we don't provide the program, they can go to Mid-State (Technical College) and then we have to pay the bill," said Emery Babcock, Stevens Point superintendent of schools.

North Central Technical College in Wausau provides the program for Wausau East and Wausau West high schools, while Wisconsin Rapids offers a program like Stevens Point's.

At the Alternative School, there are three programs, the Alternative Diploma Program, the Return Program and the Transition programs.

The Alternative Diploma program assists students who were unsuccessful at Stevens Point Area Senior High School and are likely to leave school without obtaining a diploma.

Students in the program must have reached junior status and may earn a diploma by passing competency tests in math, science, social science, writing, writing skills and literature.

In addition, the students are required to obtain 1,000 hours of work experience and complete materials in civics, health and job skills.

The Return Program assists juniors and seniors who can obtain a regular high school diploma but probably wouldn't do it without assistance.

The students work in small groups to earn credits for one or two semester and will either graduate or return to SPASH to finish school. Return Program students attend school all day, following the regular district school calendar.

The Transition Programs deal with students in grades 7 through 12, offering educational experiences designed to develop healthy lifestyles, learning to make good decisions and doing the right thing.

Goals for the programs include completing requirements for a diploma, improving social skills and confidence, instilling a work ethic and developing a sense of community membership and responsibility.

Liz Fulton, principal at the school, said between 125 and 130 students are enrolled in the programs, with between 50 and 60 students present on campus at one time. Each of the programs has two teachers, plus aides and half-time learning disabilities support. A half-time social worker and a school psychologist and a guidance counselor from SPASH also work with the students, she said.

While some people suggest that the Alternative School utilize space at SPASH, which is at a premium, Fulton said she felt that would harm the students because they were having troubles at the school in the first place, often with truancy.

"The main reason is the students having their own space," she said. "That's theirs, that's important."

She also said using SPASH for a night schedule would cut into the program, which tries to develop family time for the students. "To have a program just designated as a night program, there are issues associated with that."

Continuing to house the Alternative School in Emerson School also was questioned after a report by Lampert-Lee & Associates said "Given the current condition of the deteriorating brick it is not probable that a catastrophic structural failure will occur immediately under static loading conditions."

However, the report indicated one cannot predict the safety of the building under conditions such as "the unknown variable of winter snow loads, severe windstorm conditions or possible earth tremors."

John Gardner, director of planning and community development for Stevens Point, said city inspectors met with Lampert-Lee officials after hearing about the report to see if the building should be closed.

After review, he said the city felt the building wasn't in dire straits as was initially reported. Severe windstorm conditions would be similar to a hurricane with 80 mph winds, he said, and snow accumulation would be about two feet, which can be reduced.



	Alternative School bears brunt of woes By GENE KEMMETER of The Gazette The Alternative School has become the "whipping boy" lately in discussions throughout the Stevens Point Area School District. In recent referendum issues, some opponents stated they felt the Alternative School program should be dropped. Then questions about the condition of Emerson School, which houses the program, led to consideration of constructing a new building for the program, even though new construction was defeated in referendum issues. The Alternative High School started in 1988 to address the situation of students "falling through the cracks" in the traditional education program, harming the students, the school system and the community. Because state statutes require school districts to provide educational opportunities to students until they are at least age 18, the Stevens Point district offers the Alternative School. "If we don't provide the program, they can go to Mid-State (Technical College) and then we have to pay the bill," said Emery Babcock, Stevens Point superintendent of schools. North Central Technical College in Wausau provides the program for Wausau East and Wausau West high schools, while Wisconsin Rapids offers a program like Stevens Point's. At the Alternative School, there are three programs, the Alternative Diploma Program, the Return Program and the Transition programs. The Alternative Diploma program assists students who were unsuccessful at Stevens Point Area Senior High School and are likely to leave school without obtaining a diploma. Students in the program must have reached junior status and may earn a diploma by passing competency tests in math, science, social science, writing, writing skills and literature. In addition, the students are required to obtain 1,000 hours of work experience and complete materials in civics, health and job skills. The Return Program assists juniors and seniors who can obtain a regular high school diploma but probably wouldn't do it without assistance. The students work in small groups to earn credits for one or two semester and will either graduate or return to SPASH to finish school. Return Program students attend school all day, following the regular district school calendar. The Transition Programs deal with students in grades 7 through 12, offering educational experiences designed to develop healthy lifestyles, learning to make good decisions and doing the right thing. Goals for the programs include completing requirements for a diploma, improving social skills and confidence, instilling a work ethic and developing a sense of community membership and responsibility. Liz Fulton, principal at the school, said between 125 and 130 students are enrolled in the programs, with between 50 and 60 students present on campus at one time. Each of the programs has two teachers, plus aides and half-time learning disabilities support. A half-time social worker and a school psychologist and a guidance counselor from SPASH also work with the students, she said. While some people suggest that the Alternative School utilize space at SPASH, which is at a premium, Fulton said she felt that would harm the students because they were having troubles at the school in the first place, often with truancy. "The main reason is the students having their own space," she said. "That's theirs, that's important." She also said using SPASH for a night schedule would cut into the program, which tries to develop family time for the students. "To have a program just designated as a night program, there are issues associated with that." Continuing to house the Alternative School in Emerson School also was questioned after a report by Lampert-Lee & Associates said "Given the current condition of the deteriorating brick it is not probable that a catastrophic structural failure will occur immediately under static loading conditions." However, the report indicated one cannot predict the safety of the building under conditions such as "the unknown variable of winter snow loads, severe windstorm conditions or possible earth tremors." John Gardner, director of planning and community development for Stevens Point, said city inspectors met with Lampert-Lee officials after hearing about the report to see if the building should be closed. After review, he said the city felt the building wasn't in dire straits as was initially reported. Severe windstorm conditions would be similar to a hurricane with 80 mph winds, he said, and snow accumulation would be about two feet, which can be reduced.