Board discusses logistics of alternative school relocation

Beneath the tension of the Burke County Board of Education’s Monday meeting, Superintendent Dr. Mike Swan said Hallyburton Academy’s relocation could save the district about $400,000 and improve opportunities for about 30 alternative students.

Hallyburton serves students in need of credit recovery, behavioral support, and day-treatment therapy. Of those currently enrolled, 13 students attend for credit recovery, meaning they are just shy of the necessary credits for graduation; 11 attend for violating BCPS vaping policies, which usually results in a minimum of one semester at the alternative school.

The current location is on Main Street in Drexel, in a school building developed in the 1940s and used for a variety of grade levels until the alternative school’s utilization.

POSITIVES FOR THE DISTRICT

Swan attributes the $400,000 in estimated savings to teacher salary compared to space and class size, with that dollar amount translating to approximately nine and a half teaching positions.

Educating a student at Hallyburton Academy costs about four times more than a typical student at another Burke County school — $37,620 versus approximately $9,000.

“Obviously, you have economies of scale at play here,” Finance Officer Keith Lawson said. “That’s what it boils down to: the square footage that a very, very small population’s occupying, that it costs operationally to run. … We would still need to take care of the grounds, maintain the facility, condition the air — those kinds of things. We wouldn’t just shutter the building.”

Moving the Hallyburton program to Draughn would have a price tag of about $160,000-$180,000 in first-time costs for cameras, developing separate parking and car rider lanes, and other security and facility upgrades, meaning the initial upfront savings would fall more in the $200,000-$240,000 range.

Grant funds can assist with those security costs, including the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) grant that they used to purchase metal detectors late last year.

Swan specified that he has already talked with some community partners, and although nothing is set in stone, there is interest in the Hallyburton building if the relocation occurs.

HOW MANY STUDENTS

The move, which would not occur until next year if enacted, would affect an estimated 31 students, with 30 high schoolers and one middle schooler projected at the beginning of the next school year, all relocating to Draughn.

“That’s a rough estimate,” Swan said. “We’ll start the school year with 22 after we have our seniors graduate this May. … Some return to their traditional schools if they can catch up on their attendance.”

Hallyburton’s day treatment program would not move with the rest of the students, due to licensing. Day treatment students need therapy for mental health concerns.

WHY DRAUGHN?

Aside from the less than 5-mile distance from Hallyburton to Draughn, Draughn has the space to house more students.

Draughn is at about 41.5% of its capacity, per the district’s last capacity audit. Two-thirds of Draughn’s 36 CTE (Career and Technical Education) classes are not at full capacity.

“Why would we even think about doing this before looking at redrawing district lines?” board member Leslie Taylor asked.

“If you keep going further east, you’re taking students from East Burke High School,” Swan said. “If you go further west, (it) would help out the population at Freedom High School. But, all of a sudden, you’re looking at putting our highest disadvantaged students on a bus longer; and that’s where we pump the brakes on that.”

According to Swan, 56 of the 115 state districts operate similar school-within-a-school programs.

STUDENT ACCESS

Hallyburton students already ride the bus with traditional students to their district high school before catching another bus that takes them to the Hallyburton campus. The proposed relocation wouldn’t change that process, except for the campus where they’re dropped off.

There’s about one student that currently drives, and they would not be parking in Draughn’s student lot, but in a designated parking section for Hallyburton.

Along with receiving their own drop-off and pick-up location, Hallyburton students would also attend classes in their own wing, where only four of 10 classrooms are being utilized now. The four Draughn teachers in that wing can be relocated to different areas of the building.

Swan plans to place the district’s roving school resource officer’s (SRO) office from Liberty Middle School to a room at the end of the wing, to enhance security.

SROs are campus security officers, usually sent from the sheriff’s department.

Hallyburton does not currently have a dedicated SRO on campus.

Although the students will use the same cafeteria, their lunch time will be separate from other students. One perk for the Hallyburton students: moving up from three entree options to nine, like the other high schools.

The bell schedule will also be different, with Hallyburton’s start time 30 to 40 minutes after Draughn’s and their end time about a half hour before, further limiting overlap with Draughn students.

POSITIVES FOR HALLYBURTON

When CTE positions saw a decline in state and federal funding in recent years, Hallyburton’s CTE classes were discontinued to save money.

“This past year, we had to look at numbers, and when you’ve got 17 kids (total) in a semester, that’s an entire classroom at another school,” said Casey Rogers, the district’s CTE director.

A move to Draughn would mean that alternative school students could attend CTE courses, if they are not at Hallyburton for behavioral reasons.

Although, if a class reaches capacity, Draughn students would have priority.

Swan also highlighted that the Valdese Rotary Club and several local churches are heavily involved with the Hallyburton students, offering scholarships to attend two- and four-year universities.

Since Draughn is located in Valdese, the relocation would move the students closer to a community that already supports them.

Board member Brad Camp pointed out that many students at alternative schools are hands-on learners, saying, “To think that the kids who need it most, in some ways, can’t get it and then they don’t have it now at Hallyburton. This will be the opportunity for them to take the kinds of courses that they really need and excel at is, to me, a great possibility for some of them.”