Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Director of Office of Education to enter into a not-for-profit services contract with I Know I Can in support of the Columbus Promise program.
The Columbus Promise is a transformational college access, success, and workforce program made possible by a coalition that includes the City of Columbus, Columbus City Schools (CCS), Columbus State Community College (CSCC), I Know I Can (IKIC), the Columbus Foundation, and other partners. Announced in the fall of 2021, the first cohort enrolled in the fall of 2022 and the program has continued since, currently enabling Columbus City Schools students to attend Columbus State Community College.
As part of an existing program model, I Know I Can - a not for profit 501(c)(3) corporation doing business in the state of Ohio - promotes participation in the Columbus Promise to the more than 2,000 CCS high school seniors it serves annually. This ordinance will authorize the continuation of these efforts. As part of program promotion, IKIC will work to increase FAFSA completion among seniors and also the percentage of students who complete at least one college application. Once these procedural steps are completed (ultimately increasing the pipeline of college-ready students), the Columbus Promise guarantees a gap-filling grant to meet students’ unmet need and provides a stipend to help with other costs like books and transportation at CSCC.
The services being offered via contracts with the above-named organizations cannot be provided by existing city employees as they are outside the scope of the City’s current responsibility and capacity.
This ordinance authorizes a reimbursement to I Know I Can for expenses incurred from January 1, 2026 to the present and associated with the execution of the services authorized under this contract.
Fiscal Impact: Funding ($1,333,053) to support this agreement is available within the Office of Education’s General Fund budget, as amended in Ordinance 2...
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