When Misty Abney first entered foster care, her grades began to slip dramatically.

Before long, the teen was receiving Fs in every single one of her classes, and her confidence in herself and her ability to succeed academically were quickly failing, too.

“I hated (school),” she said. “I hated it.”

Last summer, with the start of her high school career merely weeks away, Misty had already resigned herself to more of the same - that was, until she heard about a little-publicized program called the Freshman Academy.

Offered through the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, the Freshman Academy identifies academically at-risk freshmen, and takes them out of the traditional high school setting and into their own 63-student “school.”

Now, with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to cut 10 percent from education statewide for the 2008-2009 academic year, the program is at risk of receiving the ax.

“We're the third level of intervention. If you can't make it here ...” said lead teacher Glynda Maddaleno, her voice trailing off. “The kids we are serving are the most needy. It's sad that (the program) has to be on the chopping block.”

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In 2005, the district launched what was then known as the Freshman Opportunity Program, with the intention of reaching low-performing incoming freshmen and helping them start high school off on the right foot.

Though good intentions abounded, and expectations were high, the program's inaugural year was admittedly a rough one, thanks to rampant student discipline problems.

By the end of the school year, every single teacher in the program had resigned, Maddaleno said.

However, that all changed the following year, when Maddaleno came on board and proceeded to retool the program, which is housed in three bungalows across the street from Santa Maria High School.

Practically every aspect of the program - including its name - was in some way tweaked, and teens with discipline issues were no longer accepted into the program, making it more academically focused.

“We make sure the ones who are in the program are the ones that will really benefit,” Maddaleno said.

Additionally, students now had the option of staying in the program for an entire year, rather than just a semester.

Still, some things did remain the same.

Enrollment is voluntary, and students, their parents, and the program's three teachers must all be in agreement about a student's decision to participate in the program.

As well, the Freshman Academy's standards-based curriculum is just as challenging as the curriculum at the district's three comprehensive high schools, and many of the students in the program are actually extremely bright, Maddaleno said.

Just last week, posted on a white board under the heading “What's Next,” a notice in the Academy's language arts room reminded students about an upcoming literary term exam on Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet” and Homer's the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey.”

However, despite the good it has done, after three years, the program is in danger of being cut.

In January, the governor made a proposal to cut $4.8 billion from education, citing a $14.5 billion state budget shortfall, which has since grown to $16 billion.

The local high school district is expecting a $2 million shortfall next year, and while it has already made some reductions in personnel, officials said the district will still be short approximately $938,000.

The school board of trustees discussed the program at length at a public budget study session in March and again April 9, with trustees voting to keep the program for the time being.

However, the Freshman Academy is not out of the woods yet, and could come under fire on May 6, when the board will make its final decision on next year's budget cuts.

Last week, some board members expressed their support for the program and a desire to expand it, while others voiced misgivings about the Academy's mixed success.

“They have a small number of students there who really don't fit into any other school program that we have available, and they do very well, while they're in that program,” Board President Dean Reece said. “Once they move out of the program and back into the regular high school, however, they do not do very well at all.”

He added that it would be impossible to tell how long students would need to remain in the program in order to find success in a traditional academic setting.

Less than a year after entering the program, Misty is doing well.

Her grades have soared, and so have her confidence and her love for learning.

“The second week here, I loved school ... There's less kids and there's more staff and teachers to go around helping you. They work with you individually if you need help,” Misty said.

Once she graduates, Misty, who said she especially loves English, plans to attend Hancock College before transferring to a four-year university.

Misty and others said the secret to the program's success can be found in its intimate setting and small enrollment.

“(The teachers) care so much that they're actually involved in your life ... they know your family,” alumna Catie Larsen said.

Today, Larsen is in enrolled in the district's home school program, but returns to the Freshman Academy every day as a teacher's assistant.

“I couldn't cut the cord,” she said with a laugh.

While the program has touched the students involved, it has also touched their parents, at least one of whom said she believes it saved her child.

“My son has not once said he was a loser this year,” said Tammy Blakey, whose son, Ernest, attends the Academy. “For the last three years, he'd say, ‘I'm a loser, I'm a loser.' Don't have that anymore. They're building confidence. It's not just the academic part of it, They're also working on the (kids') whole outlook.”

For now, all the proponents of the Freshman Academy can do is wait for the May 6 school board meeting, when the board will solidify next year's budget cuts.

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. and will take place at the District Support Services Center at 2560 Skyway Drive.

Natalie Ragus can be reached at 347-4580 or nragus@santamariatimes.com.

April 21, 2008