Bridge Academy and Laser Alternative High School in Kalispell will become one entity this fall.

The merger will allow students enrolling in the alternative program more options to get credits and fulfill high school graduation requirements.

Currently, Bridge Academy offers self-paced online courses and students report to one teacher. Laser provides a traditional classroom experience where students report to different teachers.

Students seldom were able to take advantage of both methods, Kalispell Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Dan Zorn said.

Restructuring will allow students to tailor their learning style. Through the new program, all students will be placed in small groups that report to at least one teacher in regard to homework and attendance.

“We’re trying to provide more flexibility,” Zorn said.

Superintendent Darlene Schottle said Linderman Education Center staffers reviewed the number of students enrolling in Bridge and Laser and found that students were increasingly interested in online learning.

“So the requests for Bridge have outstripped their ability to provide the program, whereas Laser program numbers have reduced over the last couple of years,” Schottle said. “As the staff and the two directors talked about this, maybe the best scenario is giving them a little bit of both.”

The alternative high school will remain at Linderman Education Center where Bridge and Laser are currently located.

The two director/teacher positions for Bridge and Laser will be combined into one full-time director and will be cost-neutral.

The startup cost for the 2013-14 school year is anticipated at $39,960. This includes hiring an office manager and purchasing technology, including 20 laptops.

The office manager and laptops will be purchased using end-of-year general funds. Twenty-one more computers are slated to be purchased on next year’s budget, dependent on funding availability. A portion of the general funds for the alternative schools comes from block grants.

Zorn said the discussion to merge the two schools has been going on for the past couple of years.

“We’ve visited programs around the state, done the research, had a lot of conversations about alternative education,” he said.

Bridge Director Jodie Barber, Laser Director Greg Letourneau and three Linderman Education Center staffers presented a proposal to the school board during a January work session. Barber said she is excited for the new vision that builds on tradition.

“We put a lot of work into it as a staff,” Barber said. “We want to open up opportunities for students by combining the strengths of each of our programs.”

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.