Schools

No Dropouts, Big Savings for West Deptford Alternative School

Administrators estimate the program, which helps at-risk students maintain their academic focus, has saved the district $149,000 without suffering a single dropout.

Written and reported by Anthony Bellano.

In four years, the West Deptford Alternative School, which gives at-risk students a chance to keep their education on track, has saved the Board of Education about $149,000 without suffering a single student dropout.

West Deptford High School Principal Brian Gismondi and Cheryl Fairchild, Supervisor of Special Education and Related Services, presented on the successes of the alternative school at the Aug. 26 Board of Education meeting.

With classes held at nights and afternoons on school days, the alternative track helps students who need assistance battling social and behavioral issues, who require career guidance, or who are confronting substance abuse issues.

It provides an opportunity for those students in danger of dropping out of West Deptford High School to salvage their academic careers, said Gismondi and Fairchild.

The cost to send the 12 at-risk students enrolled in the program out of the district for this past year would have totaled $360,000, with in-house alternative school costs coming in at $195,000.

The district also saved an additional $16,000 by providing its own transportation for enrollees, to whom it also gave dinner and laptops for the first time this year.

As a result of the system, four students were able to graduate in 2013, including two who would have dropped out if not for the alternative school, and another three were able to move on to the next grade level.

Four more students will return to regular classes at West Deptford High School, but will be monitored, and one more student will transition back during the school year.

“We also have hybrid scheduling,” Gismondi said. “If a student is five credits short of graduating, they continue to go to the high school during the day and make up those credits at night. That way, they can graduate on time. We had three students graduate because of it.”

No students dropped out of the alternative school this year, and two students who dropped out of West Deptford High School of the summer are enrolled in the alternative school for the upcoming year.

A total of 10 students are enrolled for the school for September.

For the upcoming year, the alternative school will offer personal finance as a new elective.

“We saw that among the students in the school, there was a need for help with personal finance, so we added it as an elective,” Gismondi said.

The presence of an administrator in the building for up to 13 hours in a given day also allows new disciplinary action, including evening suspension, as well as greater access to administrators for parents and students.

Editor's note: West Deptford educator Kate Mathiesen sent us a note after this story was published with a partial list of some of the great teachers who work with the Alternative School students.

We're reprinting them here in acknowledgment of their commitment to helping West Deptford kids complete their education. If you know of more, please send their names along for inclusion in this list!

  • Venice Grossman 
  • Charisse Arra 
  • Andrea Kappre 
  • Amy Vassallo 
  • Mike Harshaw 
  • Dan Mansor
  • Ellen Quindlen


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