Committee selects Boys and Girls Club to run Aurora after‑school and summer programs, approves up to $583,000 for school year

The Public Health, Safety and Transportation Committee voted Aug. 26 to select the Boys and Girls Club of North Central Illinois as the city’s vendor to administer after‑school and summer youth programs and to authorize a one‑year contract not to exceed $583,000 for the 2025–26 school year with two one‑year renewal options.

Simon Rodriguez, Youth Services Manager, said the city issued a single request for proposals this summer to identify a provider that could manage multiple sites citywide after the previous provider closed operations earlier in 2025. “We sought a new partner that can provide both our after school and summer programs,” Rodriguez said.

Why it matters: the contract directs the city’s gaming-tax funded after‑school funding and general-fund summer programming to a single contractor intended to restore and expand programming across East and West Aurora. Rodriguez and Boys and Girls Club officials said the vendor is already operating several Aurora sites and ran summer camps this year.

Scope and cost: Under the agreement, the Boys and Girls Club will operate after‑school programming at about 20 school-based sites (six West Aurora elementary and seven West Aurora sites referenced in material and 14 East Aurora elementary schools added this year in District 131), run four traditional summer camp sites covering the districts with Aurora schools, operate a citywide theater summer camp and continue the Downtown Aurora rotating summer camp. The first‑year budget includes a one‑time additional $76,000 of leftover after‑school funds from the spring semester and will not exceed $583,000 for 2025–26; Rodriguez said subsequent years would be budgeted at up to $507,000 per school year if the Council extends the contract.

Boys and Girls Club presentation: Kathy Russell, chief executive officer, and Natalie Pollock, chief operations officer, detailed the organization’s national standards, safety and staffing model, and experience operating 22 area sites and 14 new East Aurora sites launched this summer. Pollock said the organization expects to enroll about 1,000 youth members citywide and that roughly 80% of participating students are anticipated to attend on scholarship.

Safety and staffing: School‑based staffing will include a regional director, area manager, site coordinators and youth development assistants with a maximum 1:20 staff-to-student ratio; Russell and Pollock described background checks, fingerprinting, CPR/first-aid training, mandated reporter and child-protection training, and a national Boys & Girls Clubs policy manual the club provided to the city.

Questions and conditions: Committee members asked about coverage in specific districts and whether programming exists in some District 204 and 308 schools; Rodriguez said district-level programs vary and some district grant funding (referred to in staff remarks as “first century dollars”) has been delayed pending state action. One committee member recused from the vote and said for the record he would sit and listen because of a relationship with a party to the contract; committee members voted to approve the agreement on a voice vote, with the chair noting the motion and second were by Aldermen Seville and Nunez.

Discussion vs. decision: The committee approved the contract and authorized the purchasing director to execute the service agreement; the contract includes options for two additional one‑year renewals and will be monitored for compliance and program outcomes by Youth Services staff.

Speakers: Simon Rodriguez presented the city’s procurement and scoring rationale. Kathy Russell (CEO) and Natalie Pollock (COO) represented the Boys and Girls Club in a program presentation. Several aldermen asked questions during discussion prior to the vote.

Follow-up: Rodriguez said staff will return procurement documents, the contract and attachments to the city’s Committee of the Whole and Council processes as required and will monitor program rollout and staffing as sites open this school year.