Sunday, October 4, 2009

More than a hundred nonprofits have a relationship with Monroe County schools, providing educational programs, trips overseas, college scholarships for at-risk students, dance lessons, clothes, shoes, books, and even financial rewards for teachers who excel in the classroom.

The district gives educational and non-educational nonprofits something they can't get elsewhere: access to students and parents, air-conditioned auditoriums, athletic playing fields, school buses for transportation and sometimes the ConnectEd emergency telephone system that simultaneously sends recorded messages to the homes of faculty, staff and students throughout the Florida Keys.

The School Board is having trouble keeping track of who the nonprofits serve, how the groups are funded and how much the school system spends to maintain those relationships. Board members now want a policy outlining how each outside group contributes to student achievement and college preparation, key ideals in the district's mission to prepare students for life after high school.

Superintendent Joe Burke and board members on Monday talked about bringing the organizations before the board to give short presentations, much like the county Human Services Board does each year to determine which nonprofits to fund. The board will send a letter to its nonprofit partners, inviting them to give a three-minute presentation at board meetings over the next two months or so. It may take that long to get to all of them.

"We want the work that they are doing to support the mission of the school district," Burke told the board Monday. "If you're going to be providing this particular service, or summer program, the programs have to clearly align with the district's mission of promoting student achievement."

No matter how the decisions are made, Burke admitted, it's going to be a judgment call.

"Having some policy that talks about how those organizations link to our school mission is vital," he said. "We can say that organization A is contributing something special to the youth in our community and that connects to student achievement in a specific way."

Board member Duncan Mathewson suggested the board find a way to unify under a single policy the many organizations -- Boys Girls Clubs of the Florida Keys, Monroe Association of ReMARCable Citizens, Take Stock in Children, Rotary clubs, chambers of commerce, and businesses and private endowments, among them -- that touch the lives of children and teachers in some way.

One such outside program, known as Dancing Classrooms, was put together by Tina Belloti of Marathon and others who found funding outside the district to make it fly. Belloti and Mathewson created the Educational Coalition of Monroe County, an educational nonprofit that created the popular Cultural Awareness Music Program summer camp. The Manta business intelligence Web site says the organization has an annual revenue of $150,000 and employs three. The Dancing Classroom curriculum teaches children socialization skills through the fox trot and other dances.

Another such program is the Monroe Youth Challenge Program (MYCP), a private national program that's interconnected with the district. As the program's executive director, the district's Safe Schools Director Sunny Booker links the program to many aspects of school life. Designed to teach compassion for others' differences, the program has reduced high school bullying and fights, Booker has said.

"MYCP builds developmental assets and creates opportunities so every child in Monroe County can feel safe, loved and celebrated," Booker said. "Our three primary focuses this year are to assist with reducing bullying in schools and the community; supporting parents in their efforts of protecting their children from using alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; and working to reduce the achievement gap by allowing all students an opportunity to learn they are valuable and do have the ability to change the world around them, which in turn encourages them to strive to do better."

Determining whether a program is educational may be a judgment call, but groups also provide a reason to go to school for some kids.

School Board member John Dick said programs that give kids a reason to stay in school are valuable, too, not just those that teach the basics.

"All of the arts are a carrot keeping kids in school," Dick said. "I wouldn't single out Dancing Classrooms; art, painting, photography, theater, all those things are very good to keep kids in school and keep students on track."

MARC House, a residential program for adults with learning disabilities, receives federal and state grants and the district provides teachers to educate them in classroom settings. The district provided help moving the group to May Sands several years ago, but the organization also repaid the district for its help.

Other organizations simply use school buildings or athletic fields after school and on weekends. Groups such as the Key West Police Athletic League and other clubs that meet during non-school hours won't be required to justify an educational side, board member Debra Walker said. PAL pays for its utilities and use of the fields, board members said.

"Because budgets are tighter, we can no longer provide free air conditioning," Walker said, not referring to any groups in particular. "If we have costs, we have to make sure the costs are covered. Whatever happens during the school day has got to be the mission of the school system."

Board member Steve Pribramsky suggested bringing some nonprofit directors onto the district payroll if they spend the bulk of their time managing educational programs in the schools. It was an idea Dick didn't support.

"For us to start subsidizing them and deciding which ones to give a job to at the same time we lay off people sends the wrong message to school staff," Dick said. "We've tightened and tweaked up our budget and we've unfortunately told people, 'We don't have a job for you.' We don't know how well the nonprofits handle their own budgets or if they're loose with their budget. We shouldn't subsidize them."

jguerra@keysnews.com