Prison board hears proposal to restart GED classes; outreach agency seeks $200,117 budget

The Lackawanna County Prison board heard a recommendation in March 2025 to award a contract to Outreach to restart a certified GED program at the county jail, with a proposed first-year budget of $200,117.33.

Board members and public commenters said the program matters because it affects inmate education, testing availability and use of existing canteen funds to pay for instruction. Outreach and the warden told the board the higher-than-expected first-year cost reflects one-time equipment purchases and initial overtime to get the program running and certified as a testing site.

Warden (title given in the meeting as “Warden”) told the board the single proposal received in response to the advertised GED RFP came from Outreach and “their proposal has been found to cover all the qualifications outlined in the RFP and is my recommendation that Outreach is approved to be the GED provider for the prison.” The warden said the $200,117.33 budget is higher than earlier estimates because of one-time computer purchases and “overtime in the initial year due to extra hours needed to get the GED program up and running.”

Laurie Chaffers, president and CEO of Outreach Center for Community Resources, said Outreach expects to run 12–13 weekly classes inside the prison and to provide three additional tutoring/testing sessions each week. Chaffers said the national average is about 240 subject-specific tutoring hours for an individual to pass a GED subject and that the local jail’s turnover means not every student will complete testing while incarcerated. She said Outreach plans to allow students who cannot finish testing inside the jail to complete testing at Outreach’s Seventh Avenue center so their progress can be counted toward outcomes.

Chaffers also said about $33,000 of the proposal is for reimbursable capital costs such as computers and carts. She cautioned that GED testing vendors require strict controls on computers used for testing and that equipment purchased now could be considered a one-time expense that may recur several years later if systems must be updated.

The warden told the board he expects Outreach to be fully operational — classes and the ability to test at the jail as a certified site — “within the next three months” after contract signing and staff clearances.

The board did not take a final contract vote at the March meeting; the warden recommended the board approve Outreach and directed staff to proceed toward contract negotiations and certification steps. Any contract and certification timeline remains contingent on background clearances, purchase and installation of equipment, and Pearson (the GED testing authority) recognition of the facility as a test site.

Votes at the meeting approved routine items and the warden’s report; the formal contract award to Outreach, including final scope and signature, was described as an upcoming negotiation step and would return for formal approval if negotiations conclude.

Why it matters: Restoring an on-site, certified GED program would expand testing access for incarcerated people and create a pathway to credentialing; the first-year cost and how it is paid (the warden said canteen funds and other county sources may be considered) were key questions during discussion.

What’s next: Outreach and prison staff will pursue contract negotiations, equipment purchases and test-site certification. Board members and the public asked for clearer reporting on outcomes (pass rates and how off-site testing will be counted) before final contract approval.