Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Office of Education to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with the W.E. Upjohn Unemployment Trustee Corporation ("Upjohn"), a non-profit corporation, for evaluation of the Columbus Promise program.
The Columbus Promise is a transformational college access, success, and workforce program made possible by a coalition that includes Columbus City Schools, Columbus State Community College, I Know I Can, the Columbus Foundation, Upjohn, and other partners. Announced in the fall of 2021, the first cohort enrolled in the fall of 2022, and the second cohort enrolled in the fall of 2023, currently enabling Columbus City Schools students to attend Columbus State Community College.
Ordinance 2186-2022 was passed on July 25, 2022, and authorized the first contract with Upjohn for a contract term of November 1, 2022, to October 31, 2023. The initial contract’s scope included analysis and feedback on best practices of Promise programs across the country and analysis and feedback on the impact and implementation of such a program in Columbus. Per Ordinance 2905-2023, these efforts were renewed to continue studying additional cohorts.
Columbus City Council seeks continued research, analysis, and feedback from Upjohn as the Columbus Promise program expands and matures. Following the completion of the third year of the Columbus Promise program, Upjohn will undertake a thorough evaluation of Columbus Promise as a pilot program and provide an evaluation as such. Under this contract, Upjohn will also provide continued technical assistance and an evaluation of the third year of the Columbus Promise program, a function not performed by existing city employees.
Emergency Designation: The Upjohn Institute is a vital partner in the Columbus Promise, and their evaluation work informs funding strategies and programming decisions for the entire program. This evaluation is ongoing, and to allow the Upjohn Institute to invo...
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