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Board hears staff briefings on athletic trainers, youth reengagement, data modernization, waste contract and a charter lease
Summary
Chicago Public Schools staff briefed the board on a package of operational items on Feb. 12 including expanded athletic trainer coverage, a relaunch of the Back to Our Future youth reengagement program with Metropolitan Family Services as intermediary, a multiyear data modernization plan, a Lakeshore recycling contract extension and a charter lease ratification.
Chicago Public Schools staff used the Feb. 12 agenda review committee hearing to brief the board on multiple administrative contracts and operational items, answer board questions and request authority to proceed on several multiyear efforts.
Key items presented - Athletic trainers (ATI Holdings LLC): CPS staff recommended a one-year renewal and said the district will add four athletic trainers for FY26 to bring the district total to 25 trainers. Mickey Pruitt, acting executive director of sports administration, said the vendors meet procurement requirements and that the program is expanding with a longer-term goal of athletic trainer coverage for all 81 schools. Placement of additional trainers is determined jointly by CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union negotiating committee; staff said opportunity index and number of teams will inform placement decisions.
- Back to Our Future reengagement program (Metropolitan Family Services): Toni Copeland and Ronan Chblewski presented a relaunch of the youth reengagement and violence-prevention pilot. The district said the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has verbally committed $4,000,000 for the relaunch and the mayor's office of community safety has committed $1,500,000; staff said the relaunch is intended to cost no district funds and that the anticipated FY25 spend will be below $5,500,000. Metropolitan Family Services was selected through a competitive procurement to act as a fiscal agent and intermediary to oversee and train community-based organizations (CBOs) that will run on-the-ground outreach and services. Staff said the program consented over 600 youth during the pilot and connected 1,150 back to school or services; roughly 60 participants earned diplomas during the pilot. Board members asked for more detailed budget documentation, data on where students were reconnected (option/district schools) and the evaluation plan.
- Project STREAM (data modernization) with Accenture LLP: IT staff described a multiyear effort to replace or modernize aging data infrastructure and centralize CPS data to speed reporting and decision-making. Staff said the initiative is intended to reduce data silos, improve analytic speed and enable better resource-allocation decisions. Chief presenters said approximately $3,000,000 of the initial implementation will be funded by the Chicago Department of Public Health for the first two years and that minority- and women-owned participation targets are included in the vendor team. Board members asked about prior operational examples, data security and compatibility with existing systems such as Aspen and Oracle; staff said the architecture chosen is widely used in public-sector data modernization projects and that compatibility and change-management work are planned.
- Lakeshore Recycling Systems LLC contract renewal and extension: Facilities staff proposed the final renewal and extension for solid waste, recycling and compactor maintenance through March 31, 2028, with a not-to-exceed authority of $18,930,000 across four fiscal years. The department said Lakeshore agreed to cap increases (flat final year; 2.75% caps in earlier years) and that the extended agreement is expected to avoid an estimated $3,230,000 in higher costs if the district were to go to market now.
- Lease renewal ratification for LEARN (Lorne Charter School) at James Thorpe Elementary: Real estate staff recommended ratifying a coterminous lease renewal with the Lawndale Educational and Regional Network (LEARN) to occupy a portion of James Thorpe Elementary, with a term adjustment to align lease and charter expiration. Rent remains nominal at $1 for the term, reflecting the district's charter funding formula and the fact that per-pupil funding flows back to CPS when the district operates building operations.
Board follow-up and context Board members asked for supplemental materials on the budget and placement plans for athletic trainers, a detailed budget and ZIP-code outreach plan for Back to Our Future, and compatibility and scope clarifications for Project STREAM. Staff agreed to provide additional budget documents, ZIP-code outreach targets and more detail on metrics and oversight.
Votes recorded The meeting record shows two formal roll-call votes recorded in the agenda review session: a motion to take a 20-minute recess (approved 19-0) and a motion to commence a closed session under the Open Meetings Act (approved 19-0). No board vote on the contract authorizations was recorded during the Feb. 12 meeting; the items were presented for board briefing and will appear on future consent or action agendas.
Ending Staff said they will return budgets, outreach lists and technical compatibility details as requested. Several board members emphasized equity in placement of athletic trainers and the need for stronger outcomes data for the reengagement program.
