Faced with enrollment declines, increased operating expenses, and steep reductions in state aid, the Sullivan County (NY) BOCES engaged CGR to determine whether there are cost savings and efficiencies from combining business office functions for any of 7 participating school districts.  CGR provides 4 models that give the districts an understanding of what a CBO might look like if they contract with BOCES for a suite of core business functions; outlines interim paths to implement the CBO; and provides a cost-benefit tool to determine, depending on which services are combined, the range of cost savings.

CGR is partnering with the Rochester NY city school district to support implementation of the superintendent’s 5-year strategic plan. The threads of empowerment and accountability are woven through the fabric of the plan. For example, one plan objective calls for accountability at the school level to be built on a budgeting system that empowers school leaders. Significant effort is going into creating a system that will allocate money according to the needs of the students attending each school. This “weighted student funding” system is to be a critical prerequisite to establishing the “Autonomous” schools, schools that are empowered to use funds creatively, adapting staffing and resource use to the particular needs of the school. CGR’s overall role is to create benchmarks and metrics, help identify bottlenecks in the plan rollout, and report to district leadership and the community.

The Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, established in 1987, works with at-risk students in the Rochester and Syracuse NY and Prince George’s County MD public school districts, with the goal of keeping students in school through graduation.  The program has grown substantially over time, now enrolls more than 3,000 students annually, and has attracted significant national attention. In the past few years CGR has conducted 3 evaluations of the program, the most recent in 2006 with financial support from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.  CGR is currently conducting a fourth study that will update graduation rates and assess program effectiveness in both Rochester and Syracuse by comparing the program’s results to the performance of a student control group.

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Middle College is partnering with the Rochester NY public school district to increase college access by offering urban high school students an opportunity to enhance their college readiness. Three district high schools offer magnet programs in bioscience, global media arts or business. Faculty members from RIT and the high schools jointly plan curriculum and students attend Saturday classes at RIT. CGR has completed evaluations of Years 1 and 2 of the program, and is currently conducting an evaluation of Year 3.