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Board seeks data on Valley Youth House partnership after past case concerns
Summary
Board members asked the administration for contract deliverables and incident reporting from Valley Youth House, citing a previously reported student safety incident; administration said it will request and share aggregate performance data.
Several board members raised concerns about the district’s ongoing partnership with Valley Youth House during the education committee meeting on May 22, citing a previously reported student safety incident and asking for contract deliverables and performance data.
A board member asked when Valley Youth House’s contract is up and whether the memorandum of understanding or contract requires data reporting and incident logs. “I don’t want us to be bullied again like we were last year,” the member said, referring to public pressure and a high‑profile dispute the board discussed in a prior year.
The superintendent and program leads said the district has revised how it manages community partners and is increasingly asking partners to demonstrate alignment with the district strategic plan in requests for proposals. Doctor Birx said the district has been moving to build internal capacity for student mental‑health services and recently hired 16 social workers to reduce reliance on outside providers; she also confirmed that partner reporting requirements will be checked against the MOU.
“Once we receive that report, we will share it with the school board of directors,” Doctor Birx said when asked whether aggregate reporting would be provided to the board. Board members requested documentation of the partnership’s deliverables, incident reporting, and how principals or school staff are involved in evaluating partner performance.
Several members urged separating past personnel matters from current contract decisions while still seeking accountability. The administration said it meets with partners regularly and will check the existing MOU for reporting requirements and provide the board with the requested aggregate data.
