Board weighs moving independent high school

Students, teachers and friends of Whitefish Independent High School describe the school as a unique place that offers students a sense of community and safety.

Whether the independent school could continue to be successful if moved inside the new Whitefish High School building seems to be a tricky question to answer.

The independent school is currently located a few blocks from the main school building in a former church. The Whitefish School Board held a special meeting last week as it tries to determine the best location for the independent school.

Bobbie Barrett, former principal for the independent school, said she believes moving inside the new high school would most likely be an end to the program.

“The philosophy of the Independent started long before it was created — we were concerned about the students we were losing who were slipping through the cracks,” Barrett said. “The students named it the Independent — that’s important to them. The space now is separate and away. I don’t agree that you can have it in the same place as the high school. I don’t think students will enroll in the Independent.”

Jill Weigand, who teaches at both schools, said the move to a space inside the new high school will be difficult, but can be successful.

“The environment is because of the staff, not necessarily because of where the building is,” she said. “I think it can function within the high school. It will take time for the transition, but with work it can be done and we can keep the sense of community.”

The district is in the midst of making decisions about the design of the new high school building and with that comes the question of whether or not the independent school should be located within that new facility.

The school board listened to students, teachers and community members on the issue. No formal decision was made, rather the board decided to get more input in the coming weeks.

At its Oct. 9 meeting the board is set to vote on final design plans for the new school and it will need to decide whether to include space for the independent school in those design plans.

Preliminary designs for the new high school show the independent school would have its own entrance and parking lot and be located on the end of a wing. The independent space includes a classroom, group work area and individual workstations, as well as a kitchen, staff office and restroom. The high school can be accessed from the independent school area, but students could attend the independent school without ever entering the main building.

MANY STUDENTS join the independent high school after realizing that they want to learn in a different environment from Whitefish High School. Some say that without the independent school they wouldn’t even be in school. Since opening in 1999, about 115 students have graduated through the independent school.

One of those graduates, Cody Hill, told the school board that without the Independent he wouldn’t likely have continued in school.

“To me the most important things was the separation,” he said. “With the other students at the high school I never felt safe. At the independent school I finally felt like me because I was finally accepted.”

“I hope you can focus on still keeping it separate,” he continued. “Through integration you’ll lose some students.”

Beth Hanson, lead teacher at the independent school, agreed with Hill.

“My concern either way is that it stays separate,” she said. “The students put value on that separate place and we need to keep that. If we do end up in the high school the focus needs to be on how we keep it separate while being attached.”

IN ADDITION to the educational impact, the board is weighing the costs of keeping the independent school in its current location versus moving it to the new school. The cost for relocation is roughly $500,000. The sale of the current independent school building and saving on future maintenance costs for the independent school have been suggested as a way to make up the cost. The district is also investigating applying for a state Quality Schools Grant that would apply to construction of a new space for the independent school.

Some school board members expressed concern that the independent school program might be in jeopardy because of future budget constraints.

“We might have to move the school to save it,” trustee Shawn Tucker said. “This could be an opportunity to save the school. From my standpoint there’s an opportunity here. We have a financial obligation and I don’t want to be five years down the road and having to close the independent school because of the budget.”

Superintendent Kate Orozco echoed the statement.

“We have a strong belief that our kids deserve every possible chance to graduate and feel successful,” Orozco said. “What scares us is — would it all go away? Would the finances make it so we wouldn’t have the luxury of deciding.”

Barrett said that the independent school needs to be a place where students feel safe.

“Safety and stresses are one of the many reasons why students come from the high school to the independent school,” she said. “I don’t think you can have this same program in the high school.”

Trustee Shawn Watts asked if the independent program remains the same, but the location is changed would that impact enrollment in the school.

Kyle Fedderly, who substitute teaches at the independent school, said he feels strongly that the school needs to stand alone in its own building.

“I think for half the students it would probably work (to be in the high school) and for the other half they would drop out of school,” he said. “You simply have students who will not engage in that environment.”

One suggestion that came from the meeting was that the independent school be relocated to the main campus, but have its own building.

Cary Collier asked if it was possible to change the design to create a separate building for the independent school.

“It’s got to be separate — it’s independent,” he said. “There is a green grass theory in design by disjoining buildings. We just separate that part of the building. It could still be short walk to the high school. It’s on the same ground, but it is still a separate building.”

Watts said he would be interested in the separate building on the campus as a solution.

“We acknowledge that moving it may mean that half the students drop out. That may not kill the program, but it’s going to severely impact the program,” Watts said. “Is there a win-win that can be designed and funded?”

Orozco said she would check with the architects on the feasibility and costs of such an idea.

The school board is expected to meet with students and others to gather more information on the independent school’s location before it meets again to make a decision on Oct. 9.