The Paulding County School District is realizing significant cost savings and improving the alternative education program for at-risk students, say school officials.

Action taken by the Paulding Board of Education in April 2008 has proven to be an excellent approach to alternative education with cost savings of $750,000 in 2008-2009 and about $770,000 in the current year.

In addition to the savings for those two years, the district saved about $290,000 on summer school this year.

When the board approved a contract with Ombudsman Education Services to replace the alternative school operated by the district starting in August 2008, the goal was to realize cost savings of up to $700,000 per year while providing quality education for at-risk students.

Ombudsman centers in Douglasville were visited prior to board approval, and officials in Douglas County were very pleased with the results. Ombudsman currently operates in 21 other school systems in the state and in 14 other states.

Prior to the contract approval, the county provided an alternative school setting for middle and high school students at Matthews Learning Center. With the transfer of the alternative school function to Ombudsman Education Services, the staff at Matthews was transferred to other district schools, reducing the number of new-hires for the district during the year.

A recent discussion with three district representatives involved in the operation of the Ombudsman program clearly shows that with over a year of experience, savings have been greater than projected and at-risk students have been well served by the new alternative setting.

“We started looking at this from the financial standpoint, and once we got into it we were more convinced than ever that it was best for the students,” said Deputy Superintendent Cliff Cole.

The district achieved the savings in transportation, teaching staff and food services.

In addition to savings from the regular school year, the district has also saved an additional $290,000 with Ombudsman handling summer school functions for the district. “Due to being a computer-based program for summer school, students have more flexibility about the courses they can take,” said Cole.

“By utilizing Ombudsman for the summer program, we don’t have to worry about having administrative staff and teachers for the sessions, and we do not have the utility costs we previously had,” added Cole.

Parents and students must work with Ombudsman to be accepted for the fee-based summer program, with counselors in the district providing guidance about courses that should be taken to stay on track for graduation.

To be accepted into the Ombudsman program during the regular school year, a three-step process must be followed after a student has received a long-term suspension from the school district.

The parents must first contact Charles Kuss, district operations administrator for the Ombudsman program. Kuss makes the referral to one of two Ombudsman centers serving the county, usually the center closest to the student’s home. Both centers are in storefront office space, with one in Hiram and one on Marietta Highway in Dallas.

“All exceptional-education students in the program are assigned to the Dallas center because we have more support at that location and the center director is special education certified,” said Kuss.

While the school district decides which center the student will attend, the Ombudsman center director decides on assignment to one of the sessions.

After the referral has been made, parents and the student are contacted within 24 hours and meet with the center director. During that meeting the parents and student have to sign an agreement regarding the guidelines to be followed and are made aware of the legal right to remove students from the program if they are not complying with requirements.

Students must meet certain standards regarding attendance and behavior, as well as meeting the academic guidelines.

Ombudsman conducts an assessment of accepted students to determine benchmark levels for the beginning and ending date of the program. Graduation coaches and counselors in the district work with each center and the students, developing an Individualized Learning Program designed for each student.

Each of the two centers are set up for one middle school and two high school sessions each day, with middle school students attending four hours and high school students three hours. Each student, except for exceptional education students, must furnish transportation and no meals are served in the centers.

Students are able to work at their own pace in the computer-oriented environment but must meet the benchmarks established. They must also complete each two-week assignment in the ILP. For many students in the at-risk category, the right environment includes personalized instruction in a small classroom setting.

Students must still take the required graduation tests at their regular schools and receive a diploma from the state if all graduation requirements are met.

Due to the relative newness of the program, the school district does not yet have definitive data to show if the Ombudsman program has improved the graduation rate for at-risk students given a long-term suspension.

“It is a great program for the non-traditional student,” said Cole.

In January, the Ombudsman program will start a new dress code policy for students. Each student will be required to wear khakis and a collared shirt for their sessions. “Parents have already been notified of this change,” said Kuss.

Under the contract with Ombudsman, the school district pays for 135 slots to cover 90 high school and 45 middle school students. This year the school district will pay $772,500 to administer the program but will still realize cost savings to the district of about $770,000.

“We started the year with 35 students and now have had a total of 87 who have attended this year, with four withdrawals,” said Kuss. “Five more are waiting to get into the program after the holidays.”

Unlike the setting at Matthews, students accepted into the Ombudsman program finish a semester before returning to their regular school. “At Matthews we had students going and coming all year, but with the Ombudsman program they finish the semester before returning to their regular school,” said Kuss.

“We have had students complete the assigned time at Ombudsman and request to stay in that environment rather than returning to their regular school,” said Ramona Talley, director of career and technical education.

While the district Web site shows that students other than those in long-term suspensions can be referred to the program, very few have been approved. Most slots have been taken by students who are serving a suspension from their regular school.

Two former students in the program expressed gratitude to Ombudsman for the benefits they received.

One student said of the experience at the center: “I have completely turned my life around and learned a lot from coming here. I could not have graduated this year if it was not for Ombudsman and their awesome staff.”

For another student, Ombudsman was a school that helped during a time of crisis. The student, who had given up on passing, said of the Ombudsman experience: “After the first month I noticed a strong change in my attitude and progress. Their learning environment was ideal for anyone wanting to perform better in any school, with helpful one-on-one teaching from patient instructors who were well taught in most subjects, and hands-on computer programs and materials that allow the students to truly work at their own pace.”

Cole summed up the feeling in the district about the Ombudsman program when he said, “I have never heard a negative comment about this program.”