Board hears pitch from Graduation Alliance to reengage disconnected students; district discusses funding models

At the July 21 meeting School District 5 trustees heard a presentation from Graduation Alliance, a vendor that works with districts to locate, reengage and provide online instruction for students who have dropped out or are near dropping out.

Todd Kurushkin, chief revenue officer for Graduation Alliance, told the board the company partners with districts to find disconnected students, enroll them in a district-branded virtual program, provide locally supervised academic coaches and help districts claim state funding tied to reengaged students. Kurushkin said the firm works in multiple states and described two commonly used funding approaches: a reimbursable model (districts reclaim funding once a student reenrolls) and an assignment-of-funds model (the district assigns a per-student allocation to the vendor so the district can pay the vendor as services are delivered).

Why it matters: District staff said a small number of disconnected students can lower the district’s on-time graduation rate; administrators argued that a targeted “tier 3” intervention could raise the district’s graduation metric without the district hiring a large additional staff to do intensive outreach.

Presentation highlights and vendor metrics - Graduation Alliance described a set of services including national contact databases, outreach via phone/text/email/social platforms, dedicated academic coaches, 24/7 tutoring and the ability to supply devices and connectivity. Kurushkin said the program aims to return many students to their home high schools but can also support district-branded virtual instruction. - Outcomes and scale cited by the vendor: Kurushkin said Graduation Alliance had engaged roughly 45,000 students nationally and supported about 10,000 graduates (vendor-provided aggregate metrics). For students the district signals as “about to drop out,” Kurushkin reported an approximately 80–86% enrollment success rate once outreach begins; for larger lists of previously disconnected students the vendor cited a lower conversion (the vendor characterized a national average near 10% for longer-dormant withdrawals). He emphasized stronger conversion for students who are recently at risk of dropping out. - “Last mile”: Kurushkin highlighted a subgroup of students with five credits or fewer to graduate; he said the vendor’s success rate for that group can be higher than the overall average and that the “last mile” cohort is often the most responsive to targeted outreach.

Board and staff discussion Board members asked about counseling and wraparound services, whether students return to in-person classes and how costs would be accounted for in state reporting. The superintendent and CFO described two possible contract approaches: the reimbursable model (vendor is paid after state funds are recovered) and an assignment-of-funds model (district budgets seats and pays the vendor up front); the board heard staff preference for the latter to avoid delays tied to state reimbursement timing.

District calculation and potential impact Administration presented a district example showing how reengaging a modest number of disconnected students could increase the district’s on-time graduation rate. Dr. Ross and staff said they would continue the evaluation and return with contract terms, cost estimates and data-sharing safeguards; the board did not approve a contract on July 21.

What was not decided No contract was awarded at the July 21 meeting. Board members asked administrators to continue negotiations and to return with a costed proposal and recommended contract model for board consideration.