Alternative school proposed for Paonia

Delaine Hudson, director of Delta Opportunity School, has school board approval to move forward with a proposal to create an alternative school in the North Fork Valley.

The mission of the alternative school will mirror that of Delta Opportunity School: To provide an alternative to traditional school to help students at risk of not graduating from high school earn their high school diploma, and to provide an alternative route to high school diploma for learners who may not fit in the traditional school setting.

The North Fork Alternative School, a branch of the Delta Opportunity School, will be located on the Paonia Technical College campus.

With help from the high school principals in both Hotchkiss and Paonia, Hudson said she has identified 12 to 20 potential students for the program, which targets dropouts, students at risk of dropping out, and students who are lacking so many credits they are in danger of not graduating.

The program would run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., to take advantage of a bus currently taking students from Paonia to the North Fork Montessori School in Hotchkiss. Instead of returning to Paonia empty, the bus could transport students to the alternative school. The schedule would be reversed in the afternoon.

Hudson would travel to Paonia one day a week to oversee the program. An assistant coordinator would also be a math/science teacher. A part-time English/social studies teacher would also be hired.

"The goal is to pay for this program with per-pupil funding, recovered per-pupil funding, and grants already in place for DOS," Hudson said.

Delta Opportunity School is also pursuing a grant, in collaboration with the Delta County Library District, for GED and adult education. The grant application will be submitted in early May, Hudson said.

The alternative school will open in the fall.

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