Board hears staff proposals to continue cooperative agreements for transition and career‑tech programs; 5% out‑of‑district fee proposed

District instructional staff presented cooperative‑agreement proposals for two programs — the Livonia Transition Program (LTP) and the Livonia Career Technical Center (LCTC) — at the April 13 committee‑of‑the‑whole meeting.

A presenter described LTP as "intended for students with disabilities who are between ages of 18 and 26," with satellite job‑training sites including Ward Church, Embassy Suites, Trinity Health, Meijer and Cedar Brook Senior Living. The presenter said the program expects 4–6 students to complete with certificates on June 1 and projects enrollment of about 83 students next year (approximately 49 Livonia students and 34 out‑of‑district placements under cooperative agreements).

Staff said cooperative agreements allow neighboring districts (Northville, Garden City, Romulus, Redford, Van Buren, South Redford and Crestwood) to send students into LTP; districts provide transportation for their students and the receiving district charges a per‑pupil portion plus an additional program fee to reflect the program’s high staff‑to‑student ratio. "We are looking at a 5% increase in that fee for this coming year," the presenter said, noting it has been several years since the price was raised.

Board members asked whether the rise in LTP enrollment reflected new interest or cohort size; staff said most growth is coming from Churchill High School’s large senior class and from some out‑of‑district enrollments. On the career‑tech center, staff said demand has grown in recent years and that out‑of‑district enrollment is anticipated to be about 20% next year, with many requests coming from Northville.

The board agreed the cooperative agreements are appropriate to place on the consent agenda as annual items for next week’s regular meeting.