A little more than a year ago, Octorara Area School District Superintendent Tom Newcome had conversations with Ed Elvin III of Cochranville, then 18, and the entire Octorara School Board.
Elvin, who had dropped out of high school in the eleventh grade, told Newcome he wanted to keep his promise to his mom, who had passed away, to graduate.
Newcome took Elvin’s promise, and his own promise to board members to trim the 2009-10 budget, and joined them with a program. On Monday, June 28, Newcome handed Elvin his high school diploma and the school district more than $150,000 in savings.
Elvin, Trey Burkholder, DJ Camoirano and Heather Frank were the first to graduate from Octorara’s alternative education program at a small ceremony with more warm hugs and quiet conversation than pomp and circumstance.
“Through hard work and perseverence you navigated your path to graduation,” said program director Brian Dikun. “You each endured.”
When Newcome told the school board he calculated the school district could save more than $150,000 by running its own alternative education program, the school board embraced that line item cut. Dikun, with the help of teacher Ashley Brennan, high school counselor Sandy Federici and two instructional assistants, set up a twilight classroom in the middle school computer lab last September and welcomed students to alternative ed.
Many of the students, like Elvin, a carpenter, worked during the day and then attended classes from 3 to 6 p.m. Academic courses were taught online through Brandywine Virtual Academy, with staff providing what Newcome called “the human touch.“
According to Dikun, the program began with 14 students but two were lost to the court system. The program, which is now the district’s choice for alternative education rather than paying tuition to programs run by intermediate units, will continue in September.
Newcome said it’s district policy to ask students and their families to stop and think before going the alternative route, and staff is directed to help younger students get their behavior under control so they can, ideally, finish high school via the traditional route.
Burkholder, of Christiana, said he was not doing well in high school and at first he felt backed into a corner when he was offered the alternative, but the program was a good choice for him.
“You could work at your own pace one-on-one or with teachers too,” Burkholder said.
“They helped me out a lot,” said Elvin, who also credited his girlfriend for her support. “I definitely would recommend it to anyone who has trouble with behavior.”
“Oh, I’m definitely grateful they had this for free,“ said Camoirano, of Parkesburg.
“Students are in this program for many different reasons,” said Dikun. “If was a very successful year, for a first year.”
Following the ceremony the school board met and gave final approval, by an 8-1 vote, to a $46,026,385 2010-11 budget. Bob Hume, calling the budget “totally unfair,” was the dissenting vote.
The spending plan, up an overall 4.5 percent over 2009-10, will increase taxes to 28.13 mills (up 1.63 percent) in Lancaster County, and to 35.12 mills (up 8.97 percent) in Chester County.
In order to come to an agreement, the school board cut $1 million in other line items including the $105,000 middle school sports program (now to be privately funded by booster organizations), the positions of 10 retiring teachers, one guidance counselor, five clerical/support positions, and one administrative position.
Also, rather than cutting the program, four administrators (Newcome, Nancy Bishop, Scott Rohrer and Dan Carsley) made a $12,000 donation to the district to operate the Student Assistance and Heroes programs, since the state cut funding to the programs.
“It’s discouraging me to make tremendous cuts and still have this increase,” said board member Brian Norris.
“I don’t believe there’s the political will to change the system,” said Newcome, adding the long-range health of the community depends on bringing business sales and property tax income into the community.