Second Start Alternative High School, which has been in operation since 1979, is an alternative school in Concord that offers a program for students who have previously been unable to succeed in a traditional high school setting.
I have had the great privilege of being an academic teacher at Second Start for the last three years. To say that this program is transformative is an understatement. The stark difference in the student that walks through our doors on their first day versus the student that earns their certification of completion is jarring. Students who struggled in the traditional school setting — whether that be because of behavior, trauma or anxiety — find Second Start to be a safe place to complete their educational goals. I have worked with students who had previously only earned one credit in the traditional school setting and, with hard work from all involved, they were able to graduate and actually believe in their abilities.
Due to severe budget cuts being made by the Concord School Board, Second Start is at great risk of being cut. This decision would be detrimental to the education and futures of students who need the support most.
According to an article in The Concord Monitor, Catherine McLaughlin reports that Concord School District is faced with a $17 million budget shortfall. The article states that “One of the larger program cuts would be in the district’s participation in Second Start, an alternative high school program often utilized by students who have struggled in traditional classrooms. Students already involved at Second Start wouldn’t be disrupted, Superintendent Tim Herbert explained, but the high school would look to create an in-house program and not send new placements.”
Since the release of this article on March 6, more information has come to light that the statement made by Mr. Herbert is misleading. The school district does not plan to continue placement for all current students. The district plans to only pay for a handful of students to attend Second Start, which would severely diminish what makes this program so successful. This program will not be successful in the same way with a cut from almost 30 students to just a few.
The plan to build an alternative program within the Concord High School building is being made without thought and a lens toward the reality of what truly makes Second Start the best alternative setting for students.
Students who benefit from alternative education do not deserve to be concealed in the basement of Concord High School. They do not deserve to have educators who may, begrudgingly, be forced to work with them. These students need access to a space away from Concord High School. This clean slate offers students space away from harm they may have experienced and it allows them to work with staff who truly want to work with them. I spent several years at another local public school as a teacher who willingly worked with alternative students. These students were segregated in a far away part of the school building and their other teachers were ones who were forced to teach in the program by the administration. This program was not successful and ended the year that I left.
The National Dropout Prevention Center states that “Every student should have the opportunity to learn and to achieve a quality of life they desire based on their educational efforts and achievements. If every school board member, school administrator, teacher, parent, community and business leader believes that statement, then alternative schooling is not an option in America — it is an absolute requirement in every community.”
This program may seem like an easy one to cut because its impact is not felt by the Board or the Concord administrators on a daily basis. These students joined Second Start because they felt disregarded by the public school and once again, they are being shown that they are not worthy and they deserve to be thrown to the side. The students that attend Second Start would not earn a diploma without the support of this program. Last year, we celebrated the largest graduating class in recent Second Start history, so to learn that this program is seen as unimportant to the Concord School Board is heartbreaking.
My students and my colleagues deserve better. I know that money needs to be cut but there has to be another option.
I urge you to help support Second Start and make your voice heard to the Concord School Board. Write a letter. Make a post. Make a phone call. Attend the public hearings on March 23 at 6 p.m. in Mill Brook School and March 25 at 6 p.m. in Concord School District’s Central Office to make your voice heard.
Kate McLeod teaches at Second Start Alternative High School in Concord.