Battle Creek board approves YMCA aftercare, reading PD, program evaluation and principal mentoring contracts
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Summary
The board approved four contracts and program expenditures: a YMCA contract to expand Fremont before/after care, HMH InterReading professional development funded by Title II, an external evaluator for Bearcats Beyond the Bell funded by 21st Century grants, and principal coaching funded by W.K. Kellogg Foundation funds.
At its Aug. 25 meeting, the Battle Creek Public Schools Board of Education approved four contracting and program recommendations intended to expand student supports and sustain literacy implementation.
The board voted to approve a contract with the YMCA to provide before- and after-school care at Fremont International Academy and to expand seats at the site. Dr. Harvey presented the recommendation and said the contract is for the Fremont extended learning partnership with the YMCA and that the district is able to offer more seats than in prior years. The amount listed in the board packet was read aloud as “$136,000 $835.50” and the presenter said the contract total increased from prior years because more seats are available; the funding source named at the meeting was the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The board also approved funding of $23,800 from Title II to support year-two professional development and on-demand coaching (HMH “Coachly”) tied to the district’s recently adopted HMH InterReading elementary reading core. Mr. Bish explained this would provide three three-hour webinar packages, two in-person training days and on-demand coaching licenses for instructional coaches to support teachers during implementation.
To meet federal grant evaluation requirements, the board approved contracting evaluation services with I Eval for $18,000 to serve as the local evaluator for two 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants that fund the Bearcats Beyond the Bell program. The evaluation will include processing and analyzing attendance, grades, standardized test scores and focus groups to assess program performance, Dr. Hervey said.
Finally, the board approved a principal coaching and mentoring contract with Sheila Dorsey Consulting LLC to provide monthly, face-to-face mentoring and instructional walkthroughs for seven administrators with fewer than three years in their roles. Dr. Henry cited MCL 380.1249(b)(10) — the state statutory reference included in the meeting packet — as the mandate that requires mentorship for new administrators. The board packet and presenters said the mentoring contract would be funded with W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant funds and specified an amount up to $56,000.
Each of the four motions passed on the board’s voice vote during the meeting. Members asked clarifying questions about program timing and the need for external support: board members and staff said the second year of the HMH InterReading rollout still requires implementation supports for new instructional coaches, that the YMCA contract expands capacity at Fremont from 50 to 75 seats, and that the evaluator will be responsible for reviewing multiple student outcome measures for the afterschool grants.
All approved motions were recorded as passed during the meeting; contracting documents, execution details and start dates were not specified in full on the record and will be processed through district procurement.
