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Financial and Administrative Arrangements: Who, Where, How?

Among the alternative schools serving at-risk youth, there are differences in terms of location, funding sources, enrollment, relationship to mainstream schools in the district, and other issues. Some of these differences are not necessarily critical to the students or the outcomes of the schools. However, they may be important to administrators or others who are seeking to set up a school and are interested in the various structures or arrangements for doing so.

1. Funding sources
   Possible funding sources for alternative schools include the school district (either through direct funding of its own programs, per-student tuition paid to another entity such as an education service district or community-based organization, or a contract with another entity); federal, state, or foundation grants; and in-kind or cash donations from businesses and the community, including volunteer assistance. Some schools operate on combined funds from several sources. A school also may start up with funding from a source such as a federal or state grant, and then transition to district funding.

2. Operators
   Alternative schools in the public school arena are run by school districts, cooperatives of school districts, education service districts, nonprofit community-based organizations, and private contractors.

3. Location and affiliation
   An alternative school may be affiliated with a mainstream school or district, or it may be accredited separately. It may be located on the same campus or in the same building as an affiliated mainstream school, or it may be housed at a separate school building or a nontraditional location such as a storefront, an office building, or a farmhouse. In the state of Idaho, none of the alternative schools are separately accredited and they can only operate in an existing school during different hours, or at an off-campus location during regular school hours.

4. Enrollment
   Schools may target particular subgroups of students--pregnant or parenting, a particular ethnic or racial group, working students, older students, dropouts, or drug-involved students. Some states have rules about which types of students are eligible for alternative education. Successful schools usually have a referral and interview process that ensures they enroll students most likely to benefit from their program.

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© 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory

Date of Last Update: 09/19/2001
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