Boyce Campus Middle College Lives on for 17 Plum Students

Plum students attending the Boyce Campus Middle College program will have the option of continuing next school year.

On Tuesday, the Plum School Board approved an agreement between the district, Penn Hills School District, Gateway School District and Community College of Allegheny County that would allow 17 students to continue their education through the alternative program.

Under the agreement, the district would pay a $7,000 tuition—$119,000 total—for each student attending the program. During the budgetary process, officials had eliminated the entire program, which was costing the district $234,000 per year.

The school, also referred to as BCMC, provides an alternative for students who don't feel like they fit in the regular high school setting. In the guidance-based program, the faculty serves as facilitators, counselors, mentors, student advocates and focus group leaders. Classes are held at CCAC-Boyce Campus in Monroeville.

Students from the Plum, Gateway and Penn Hills school districts participate in the program. Until this year, Woodland Hills also was a part of the program.

At a meeting earlier this year, the students in the program spoke up and said they would not return to the Plum School District if the program was eliminated. At the time, officials said if that were to happen, it would cost about $157,590 to pay for the students' cyber or charter school tuitions—meaning the agreement with Penn Hills, Gateway and CCAC is saving the district about $38,590.