Title: Consider Approval of the Contract with Alternatives Unlimited for the Drop Back In Program

Recommendation:

I recommend that the School Board approve the contract with Alternatives Unlimited to set up the Drop Back In (DBI) Program in Palm Beach County.

Description:

• Drop Back In (DBI) is a dropout retrieval program where students who already dropped out of school are given an opportunity to return and attend a program leading to graduation.

• The DBI Program will be housed in leased space in four to six sites within Palm Beach County.

• Students who are 16-21 years old and have dropped out of our district’s high schools are eligible to attend.

• The DBI Program recruits students in the community and at work places employing students without a diploma.

§          The DBI Program offers flexible schedules, online and small group teacher directed classes with certified teachers.

§          The DBI Program is presently in 7 states, including Florida.  Their programs are in Duvall and Broward Counties in Florida.

§          The DBI Program bears the entire expense of setting up their sites.  They pay teachers, administrators, online subscription costs and for materials.  As students enroll, the district obtains FTE for each student.  The district gives the DBI Program 9/10^th of the FTE for each student enrolled and 1/10^th is kept for oversight costs to the district and to provide textbooks.  This is the only cost to the district other than the time of district employees in the Department of Supplemental Educational Services to oversight the program.

§          Students who meet all requirements of a diploma in the state of Florida, including passing FCAT, receive a high school diploma in a ceremony through the DBI Program.

§          The DBI Program is limited to 48 students in each session at each site (96 per site) or a total of 396 students during semester one.  The program plan is to expand with the approval of the School District to two additional sites.

• The Contract with Alternatives Unlimited to set up the Drop Back In Program will be effective immediately upon approval of the School Board.

Financial Impact:

This District will keep one tenth of the FTE for each student retrieved in this program. 

For Additional Information, contact:

Ann Killets   akillets@palmbeach.k12.fl.us       

Alison Adler

Judith Klinek

Attachments (list):
Agreement.pdf
Data Panel.pdf
Legal Checklist.pdf