Young Women’s Leadership Academy

1. Young Women’s Leadership Academy UPDATE November 19, 2013

2. Background • Georgia Miller and several other community leaders met with district leadership to discuss creating a single gender girls school in Wilmington based on a model that has been successful in New York and other states.

3. Key Milestones to Date • NHCS leadership and Young Women’s representatives met during the summer to discuss the school concept. • Board of Education members met with YWL proponents to discuss the concept. • The idea was presented to the Board. • Board members visited schools in NYC. • A draft MOU was prepared for discussion purposes. • A facility meeting was held to discuss possible school sites.

4. Discussion Items • Costs • Facilities • Timeline • Roles for each organization

5. Costs • Any new school brings with it cost to both partners. YWL has raised considerable private funds to help make the school a reality. • The district would have costs associated with opening a new school. • There would be ongoing operational costs and one-time capital cost.

6. One-Time Capital Costs • Technology Start-up $75,000 • Kitchen Equipment $90,000 • Furniture $130,000 • Facility Upgrades $877,000 • Facility upgrades could be less depending on the site selected.

7. The Planning Year (Not including capital expenses) • YWL would cover most of the cost related to this year. • Principal Salary: $92,000 (salary and benefits) • This would be a combination of YWL and state funds. • NHCS would provide the following: • Office Space (The district would provide an office space for the planning year.) • Clerical Support: Estimated at $12,750 (3 months of support) • Supplies: Up to $10,000 • Total: $22,750

8. Year 1 • Begin with 6th grade - 75 students. • There would be some cost that would be covered by state allotments. • Some costs would have to be covered by local revenue above our current funding levels.

9. Year 1 (continued) • YWL would provide support to the students and help with the curriculum. • NHCS would have to cover the following costs: • 6 teachers: Three state funded and three locally funded • Building operational funds (Local) • Clerical support (Local) • EC Teacher (local) • Guidance Counselor (Local) • Transportation (Local)

10. Year 2 Cost Items: • Additional grade added with 75 more students. • Six additional teachers: • three locally funded • three state funded. • Additional Transportation costs. • Technology assistant added. • Additional custodian.

11. Year 3 Cost Items: • Additional 75 students added and the school grows to eighth grade, creating a complete middle school. • Additional six teachers will be added with a combination of state and local funds. • YWL will provide a career/college counselor through their grant funding. • Transportation costs will increase with the additional students.

12. One-Time Costs • There are a number of one-time costs associated with opening a school. While a part of these are fixed costs, the selection of site will have a significant impact on final cost. • One time costs: • Textbooks • Furniture • Technology • Building renovations • Food Service set-up

13. Facility Issues • There are two possible locations for the school utilizing NHCS facilities. • Each site has its own positives and negatives. • There is still the possibility of a private site.

14. Two NHCS Sites Blount • Pros: • Larger than JC Roe • Less renovation cost needed • Community is familiar with the school • Building is in excellent condition • Cons: • Cannot accommodate beyond 9th grade • Limited acreage • Would require relocating existing programs (Mosley PLC & Pathways) JC Roe • Pros: • Large land area with room to grow • Located near Brigade Boys and Girls Club • No school programs to relocate • Cons: • High renovation cost • Building cannot accommodate more than three grades • Close to industrial area/shipyard