RALEIGH -- Students walked across the stage at a Richard Milburn High School graduation for the last time Wednesday night.
The final graduating class for the alternative school comprised eight seniors from six Wake County schools. Milburn served students for 11 years.
The school is the largest of several alternative programs in Wake that offered classes to students suspended from regular schools for the school year. Operated by a private vendor contracted by the Wake County Public School System, Milburn High School served an average of about 165 students a year and more than 200 in 2008-2009.
In the face of declining revenue, Wake officials have decided to trim the $1.2 million contract from next year's budget.
Now, students dealt long-term suspensions will have to take classes online, either at home or at a public library, or at one of several Wake teaching centers across the county.
"We aren't doing away with the services to those students," said Marvin Connelly, Wake's assistant superintendent for student support services. "We're just going to provide the services ourselves rather than contracting it out to a vendor. It won't save us the entire $1.2 million, but it will definitely save us money."
Connelly said the feedback from parents and faculty in the Wake school system has been positive.
"I think once everyone ... figured out that we weren't doing away with the services, they were on board," he said.
Parents and students at Richard Milburn, though, were less optimistic about the school closing.
"Without this school, there's no telling where my son would be," said Andrea Tyler, whose son, Melvin Williams, graduated and gave the opening remarks at the ceremony. "The school gives students people to interact with who encourage them and give them hope of a better life. I've seen how Melvin has changed."
Williams said he plans to attend Wake Tech in the fall before transferring to a university where he hopes to run track. Before Wednesday's ceremony, he received praise from his mother and his principal for changing his attitude since he was suspended from Leesville Road last year for an altercation with another student.
"I probably would have dropped out and got my GED if it weren't for Richard Milburn," he said. "There were people to push me and make sure I was doing what I needed to be doing. It gave us a sense of pride to know people believed in us."
With more than eight long-term suspensions per 1,000 students, Wake had the 10th highest rate of long-term suspensions of the state's 115 school districts last year.
