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District renews contract with Carrington Youth Academy for 2025–26; staff clarifies budget impact
Summary
The board authorized a 2025–2026 contract involving Carrington Youth Academy and ESC NEO; staff said the roughly $750,000 figure discussed is the total program budget across districts and that East Cleveland reimburses ESC NEO only for its students.
The East Cleveland City School District board approved a contract with the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio and Carrington Youth Academy LLC for the 2025–2026 school year. Trustees heard an explanation of how the program is funded and how costs are allocated among participating districts.
A board presenter described Carrington as a juvenile facility that receives students under court sentence. The district has participated in this arrangement for multiple years; staff indicated this is year three or four of the partnership. Board members asked whether the majority of Carrington students are from East Cleveland; staff replied that many are East Cleveland students but that students also come from Cleveland, Cleveland Heights and other surrounding districts.
On budget impact, district staff clarified that the $750,000 number mentioned during discussion is the total budget for all districts whose students attend Carrington — not East Cleveland’s sole cost. "The cost is not $750,000," a staff member said. "The total budget for all of the school districts whose students are in Carrington is about $750,000 per year." The district invoices the Educational Service Center and is reimbursed by the other districts; East Cleveland’s net out‑of‑pocket expense is therefore limited to the education costs associated with its own students while they are placed in the facility.
Board action and context The board voted to approve the contract as presented and recorded the motion as passed. Staff said the arrangement helps keep track of students placed at Carrington and aids re‑entry planning for students who return to East Cleveland schools.
What remains unclear The transcript records the aggregated program budget but does not list a line‑item breakdown of how many East Cleveland students are enrolled at Carrington or the precise per‑student cost to East Cleveland. Staff offered to show the finance committee documentation on reimbursements at a future finance meeting.
What happens next Finance staff will present documentation on reimbursements and district cost-share. The contract is effective for the 2025–2026 school year and the board will monitor implementation through regular reports.
