Item:
Title
Budget Amendment Ordinance No. 21BCC000036 Transferring $405,000 Across Functional Areas and Approving a Contract with the Durham Public Schools Foundation for Support of Community-Based Hope Learning Centers (20min)
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: October 12, 2020
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to review and approve a contract with the Durham Public Schools Foundation for Support of Community-Based Hope Learning Centers and approve Budget Amendment Ordinance No. 21BCC000036 transferring $405,000 across functional areas to fund this contract.
With the rapid spread of the COVID pandemic, Durham Public Schools had to quickly pivot to deliver remote digital instruction to all 33,000 DPS students. This was and is an enormous undertaking. There are several critical pieces that must be in place to ensure digital equity for all students: (1) devices and internet access, (2) tech support, (3) well trained and supported teachers, and (4) a physical environment conducive to learning. If students are missing any one of these components, they won't be able to access learning this fall and the consequences on their lives and our broader community will be felt for decades.
Durham Public Schools initially offered six sites for a mix of paying and free students, with only those who meet the McKinney-Vento definition of homelessness and those qualifying for free and reduced lunch getting free seats. In the first several weeks the DPS sites were open, enrollment only reached about 25% of capacity. Last week the Board of Education opted to reduce the number of DPS remote learning centers to three, though if demand grows beyond the 450 seats at these remaining sites, the other sites may be re-opened.
The HOPE Learning Centers that the Commissioners committed to funding are a community response to ensuring that the most vulnerable K-12 students have safe, welcoming and supportive space to access their online learning. Thes...
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