United Way urges Dougherty County Schools to invest $50,000 in Albany Summer Collective

Orson Burton Jr., president and CEO of United Way of Southwest Georgia, asked the Dougherty County School System on March 9 to commit $50,000 to the Albany Summer Collective, a coordinated countywide effort he said would expand access to quality summer options for low-income students.

Burton told the school board the full program budget is $350,000 and that the model is designed to "not just fund activities for kids" but to coordinate partners, centralize marketing and enrollment, and measure outcomes. He said the collective aims to serve roughly 1,500 students (he gave an operational range of 15 to 2,000) and that about 120 students would receive fee subsidies if the initiative is funded at scale. "We are asking the Dougherty County School System for $50,000 toward that full price," Burton said.

He outlined how funds would be used: a direct-programming component, a roughly 15% administration/fiscal-oversight component, internship and workforce development slots, and a subsidies/marketing/enrollment component. The plan would route funds through United Way of Southwest Georgia as fiscal agent, and Burton said up to 20 nonprofit summer programs could receive grants to expand capacity, while as many as 35 youth could receive paid internships across business, health care, government and nonprofit sectors.

Burton described an evaluation plan and timeline that includes pre-implementation planning, early tracking, a midsummer review, ongoing monitoring, an end-of-summer assessment and a final report scheduled for October 2026. He also asked the board to designate a school-system liaison, accept mid-summer and end-of-summer public updates, and use the board's platform to boost enrollment and awareness.

Board members asked questions and raised concerns. Dr. Hagan asked how many students would receive subsidies; Burton responded that "120 students will have access to subsidies" and reiterated the roughly 1,500 target. Pastor Bush expressed worries about duplication and fiscal responsibility, saying the community already has many initiatives and urging oversight. Burton responded that the collective is intended to add coordination, not replace existing programs, and reiterated that United Way would serve as fiscal agent and provide compliance, disbursement and reporting.

No vote was taken during the presentation. Board members asked staff for copies of the presentation materials, and the superintendent and staff said they would review the request and follow up with a recommendation and cost estimate.