Board approves behavioral reassignment contracts with Banner Prep and Lad Lake Synergy amid public concerns

The Committee on Student Achievement and School Innovation approved one‑year contracts for behavioral reassignment seats with Banner Prep and Lad Lake Synergy for the 2025‑26 school year Thursday, despite a public commenter urging the district to pause and examine outcomes at one partner school.

The vote, moved by Director O’Halloran, passed unanimously on a recorded roll call (five ayes). Administration described the contracts as part of a continuum of services for students who have been reassigned through central services because of behavioral incidents and said the one‑year length allows the district to review data and trends.

What the contracts cover Bridget Schock Anderson, director of contracted school services, told the committee the behavioral reassignment schools provide social‑emotional curriculum, mentoring, counseling, and student‑led dismissals at the end of each semester. For FY26, administration requested 180 seats in grades 6–12 for Banner Prep (a decrease of 30 seats from the prior contract) and 10 seats in grades 6–12 for Lad Lake Synergy. Schock Anderson said contracts include minor amendments to align performance metrics with the state’s alternative accountability requirements.

Public comment and oversight questions A virtual public commenter, Larry Hoffman, a retired teacher and mentor, told the committee about a mentee he helped enroll at Lad Lake Synergy and said the student returned to a traditional school without demonstrated behavioral improvement and later received another suspension. Hoffman urged the district to delay approval to examine whether Lad Lake was meeting behavioral goals and outcomes.

Administration and board response Bridget Schock Anderson and Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan described ongoing oversight and coordination with Student Services. Schock Anderson said the district conducts frequent monitoring, meets monthly with partner schools, sits on their learning teams, performs data chats, and runs student‑led dismissals. She said mentoring is built into the reassignment schools’ model and that referrals to mentoring and counseling occur at intake.

Board members asked for additional data and clearer complaint tracking. Director Leonard requested recidivism rates; Schock Anderson said the district has collected that data and will provide it. Director Gokul Gandhi asked how constituent complaints are documented and routed; administration said complaints can be submitted through the office of board governance (which forwards items to administration for a response within five days), through the parent center, or by calling administration directly.

Why it matters Behavioral reassignment schools serve students who require a more restrictive or specialized setting because of behavioral incidents; oversight, transition planning and recidivism are central to evaluating whether placements meet student needs. Board members urged administration to strengthen transition work so students are supported when they return to traditional schools and to bring evaluation data to the board.

Vote and next steps Motion: approve contracts for behavioral reassignment seats with Banner Prep and Lad Lake Synergy for FY26. Mover: Director O’Halloran. Vote: Ferguson (Aye), Gandhi (Aye), Leonard (Aye), O’Halloran (Aye), Chair Simpson (Aye). Outcome: approved. Administration said it will continue to review program data and return findings to the committee.