Why couldn the alternative high school programs be brought into the buildings we own rather than leased space?
The alternative high school programs consist of several “storefront” programs of two classrooms each for students who have dropped out of school. The small size and location away from regular high schools are factors in the success of these programs. There is no space for the programs in the regular high schools. Even with the addition of Andover High School, which will open in fall 2002, our high schools need all of the space in their buildings for the next few years. Population is dropping in the lower grades, but that reduction will not hit the high schools for a number of years. Finally, the lease costs for these facilities do not come from “operational budgets” and could not be used for other purposes. The actual cost of operating the programs is more than covered by the funds that the state provides to operate them. If the programs were eliminated, the funding would be eliminated so there would be no savings.
