Blaine High School principal to head new online program

For the first time since 2009, Scott Ellis will not be principal of Blaine High School.

Starting February 1, vice principal Elizabeth Eide will take over as interim principal for the second semester, and Ellis will transition to developing a new online learning curriculum for Blaine high school students.

After starting as a substitute and then special education instructor at the high school in 1994, Ellis worked his way up through administrative positions to principal in 2009, and is now tasked with developing a curriculum for students who want online learning options wtih a connection with local educators.

Superintendent Christopher Granger said the new online school will allow the district to retain a growing number of high school students since the pandemic who prefer online-only learning.

Washington state provides funding to each school district based on enrollment statistics. In short, having more students enrolled in a school district results in more state money coming into a district’s coffers.

The Blaine school district has seen enrollment fall steadily since the pandemic, and departing senior classes have been consistently larger than incoming kindergarten classes, according to district data. Facing a budget deficit for the 2024-25 school year, the district identified high school students moving to state- or private-run online learning as a group that could be brought into the district by offering its own online curriculum, Granger said.

“We still believe face-to-face instruction is the best way to get educated for the vast majority of students in our district,” Granger said. “We’re not looking for a mass exodus of students from our high school to this because it’s an easier option. This is about meeting specific needs for specific students and their families.”

Ellis will work closely with administration to develop a set curriculum before the 2024-25 school year begins in September, and making the move in between semesters allows ample time to set up the first-of-its-kind program.

Ellis said he’s excited for the career change after three decades at Blaine High School, and hopes to get students who take online classes for myriad reasons the help they need.

“High school is hard. If you’re totally remote and you don’t have any access to a local teacher or administrator to help you get through that, or a local counselor to help with your guidance, it can be difficult to do all that stuff online,” Ellis said. “Now we have that local link to our community to help kids that want to learn that way.”

While Ellis won’t be working in the building he has spent his entire educational career in, he assures the community that he will continue to be actively involved with the Borderite community, including manning the PA at football games come next season.

“I’ll still be calling football games, I’m not leaving,” Ellis said. “I don’t want to lose that connection that I have with Blaine High School, the kids and the community.”