Board committee approves budget items to continue Future Educator dual-enrollment program

The East Stroudsburg Area School District Education Committee voted Jan. 9 to recommend including funding in the 2025–26 general fund budget to continue the Future Educator dual-enrollment cohort and to support districtwide dual-enrollment courses.

The committee approved two budget recommendations: roughly $15,000 (to cover course fees and a planned district-owned class set of textbooks) to continue the Future Educator dual-enrollment offerings at North and South High Schools, and a $40,000 allocation for other dual-enrollment/dual-credit courses. Both recommendations were advanced by voice vote and recorded as approved by the committee at the end of the meeting.

The action followed a detailed presentation by district staff about the Future Educator pathway, a program run in partnership with Northampton Community College (NCC) and coordinated with East Stroudsburg University (ESU) through the Aspiring Educator Pathway. District presenters described the program as a junior- and senior-year cohort that provides three field experiences (elementary, intermediate and high school), mentorships, a kickoff event and wrap-up activities. The senior-year component is delivered as dual-enrollment courses through NCC; the two NCC courses named in the presentation were Education to All Students (offered in fall) and Introduction to Special Education (planned for spring).

District staff reported enrollment of 19 seniors across North and South this year (11 at North, 8 at South) and a junior cohort of 29 students who will be eligible next year. NCC’s contract has a 12-student minimum per site; the vendor price shown in the presentation was $285 per student (3 credits), producing a per-site minimum cost of $6,840 and a combined minimum of $13,680 for both high schools. Presenters said the district expects to buy a single class set of textbooks (district-owned) going forward; staff estimated total district costs for the pair of courses plus books in the $15,000–$17,000 range depending on final enrollment.

Committee members pressed staff on several financial, logistical and legal points: whether families could be required to pay for courses, how charging students would affect average daily membership (ADM) and instructional-minute accounting, and how the district should cap enrollment to support budgeting. The superintendent and staff said they are still consulting with the district solicitor and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) on whether charging students for these specific dual-enrollment credits would remove the state subsidy tied to ADM and instructional minutes. Until legal guidance is returned, staff recommended including the program cost in next year’s budget and continuing the program for one more year while they seek a final ruling.

Committee members also discussed differences between partner colleges. Staff said NCC offered a per-student rate (the $285 rate) and on-site instruction at the high schools, while ESU’s quoted model would have charged far higher per-course amounts (presenters referenced figures on the order of $10,000 per course as quoted in initial vendor responses). Staff recommended continuing with NCC for the two Future Educator courses next year because of cost, modality (in-person at the high schools) and seat availability; they said ESU remains a district partner for other programming and countywide collaboration but was not the recommended instructor for the two specific education courses at this time.

Votes at a glance - Recommendation to finance Future Educator dual-enrollment courses (estimated $15,000 plus textbooks) — motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved by voice vote; committee did not record a roll-call tally. - Recommendation to finance districtwide dual-enrollment/dual-credit courses for students not in the Future Educator cohort ($40,000) — motion moved and seconded; outcome: approved by voice vote; committee did not record a roll-call tally.

What the committee asked staff to do next included: obtain written guidance from PDE and the district solicitor on whether charging students would affect ADM/subsidy; return budget numbers and final recommendations before scheduling deadlines; and propose any enrollment caps or selection criteria that would help predict future-year costs. Staff told the committee they expect to have a firmer plan for 2026–27 by the start of the next school year and to present budget details at the February meeting.

Ending: Committee members praised the classroom experiences students receive through the Future Educator pathway and agreed to continue the program while staff secures the outstanding legal and fiscal clarifications.