Chicago Public Schools staff asked the board on Sept. 10 to increase the district’s two‑year not‑to‑exceed (NTE) authorization for two alternative learning opportunity program vendors — Pathways in Education Illinois and Ombudsman Educational Services — from $60 million to $65 million and to approve a renewal of contracts through the 2027–28 school years.
Molly Michalacek, director of authorization in the Options Network, told the board the two vendors operate four campuses each and together serve roughly 2,000–2,200 students. She said increases in per‑pupil funding are driven by rising enrollment, higher attendance, facility supplements for independent sites, expanded out‑of‑school‑time programming and federal grant allocations.
Why it matters: ALOPs serve older, off‑track students who rely on flexible, credit‑recovery models; Michalacek warned that failure to renew or fund these vendors would require transitioning 2,000–2,200 students to other schools before the end of the year.
Board members pressed for oversight. Member Schmidt and Member Boyle reported visits in which students said Chromebooks were broken, slow to connect or insufficient in number. Michalacek said ALOPs operate like standalone contract schools and that the district will follow up, hold vendors accountable and provide targeted supports where programs appear to fall short of contractual deliverables.
The administration recommended increasing the NTE to $65 million for the current two‑year term and then to $70 million for the next contract to account for projected per‑pupil funding increases. No vote was recorded during the Sept. 10 agenda‑review session; staff asked board members to send inquiries through the board chief of staff to obtain follow‑up information and itemized breakdowns of cost drivers.