Board approves Ayers Foundation partnership to place career coaches at White County High School

The White County Board of Education approved a partnership June 12 with the Ayers Foundation to provide career counseling staff for White County High School at no cost to the district.

Board members voted to accept an agreement that will allow the Ayers Foundation to place two school counselors and a coordinator in the high school. District staff described the program as a foundation‑funded model that assigns counselors who work with students while in school and continue to communicate with and support them into postsecondary education or technical programs.

Why it matters: The foundation will hire and fund the staff — described by district administrators as counselors plus a coordinator — relieving the district of an expense it could otherwise have had to cover. District staff said the partnership arose after the district lost other external funding for that position and that the foundation’s model has produced positive results in other counties.

Board discussion: Trustees asked whether the arrangement could expand to additional staff if enrollment grew; staff said the foundation’s staffing is based on enrollment ratios and that additional positions would require higher enrollments. Board members also asked whether an existing counselor, identified in discussion as Ms. Rushing, could remain in the role; staff said she was in the interview process with the foundation and the district hoped she would continue under the new partnership.

Next steps: The board approved the agreement and authorized staff to finalize the partnership documents. The agreement includes standard provisions on data sharing, confidentiality and termination clauses; staff said the foundation intends to remain in the district indefinitely unless circumstances require termination by mutual agreement.