Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
YMCA YSA pilot at Runlet Middle School reported to improve behavior, attendance and academic outcomes
Summary
Runlet Middle School staff and YMCA presenters described the first year of a YSA (Support, Tutor and Adventure for Youth) pilot: embedded 75‑minute classes, small caseloads and incentives; presenters cited quarter‑to‑quarter academic stability/improvement and high student‑reported adult support; sustainability relies on district partnership and grants.
Runlet Middle School principal Jay Bouchard introduced the YMCA’s YSA pilot and said district staff and YMCA partners are encouraged by the program’s first‑year results.
“The goal of YSA is to provide a small‑group setting with a trusted adult role model,” Bree Hess, YSA program director, told the board. She described the program as embedded into the school day, with YSA teachers seeing roughly 20–25 students each for a full class period every other day. Instruction emphasizes social‑emotional learning (SEL), study skills and homework support.
Hess said program measures for quarter three at Runlet showed 50 percent of YSA students “improved or stayed the same” in academics and 72 percent improved or stabilized on attendance and behavior write‑ups. She also cited survey results in which 90 percent of program students reported identifying at least one positive adult role model and 81 percent reported increased ability to walk away from risky situations or seek adult support.
Hess described incentives and supports the program uses to engage students — a points‑based “stay store,” field trips, and YMCA memberships for participants until age 18 — and said students are identified by guidance counselors and school administrators. Scott Geier, the YSA state teacher working at Runlet, and other YSA staff answered board members’ questions about caseload, training and how YSA fits with existing school resources.
Board members asked about costs and long‑term sustainability. Hess said the program can scale by adding another state teacher rather than doubling per‑teacher costs, and she emphasized collaboration between district grant writers and YMCA staff to identify sustaining resources.
“We’ll often say…we’re seen as any other staff member within the school,” Hess said, adding that YSA staff participate in school activities and provide “positive adult role models” in and outside of class.
The board thanked the presenters and invited staff to return with year‑end or full‑year data for further review.
