County amends ‘Closing the Achievement Gap’ contracts; evaluation restarted, staff to provide report

Cuyahoga County’s Education, Environment & Sustainability Committee approved Resolution 20240388 on Oct. 30 to amend a master contract for school-based “Closing the Achievement Gap” (CTAC) services, adding time and funds while the county prepares a new RFP.

Kathleen Stewart of Family and Children First Council told the committee the amendment shifts the payment schedule to the school calendar and extends services while the RFP is prepared. Stewart said the CTAC program targets students at risk of falling behind and operates in multiple school districts, including three Cleveland Metropolitan School District locations (Glenville, East Tech and Rhodes). She provided participation figures for two recent school years: 177 students in 2022–23 and 154 students in 2023–24; staff said data entry gaps in some districts affected totals but that reporting compliance has improved.

Committee members asked about the program’s evaluation history. Stewart said evaluation recently resumed and a report should be available within about a month; she noted an interval in which evaluations were not completed and offered to provide historical totals. Members raised concerns about Garfield Heights, where school staffing and student behavior have created strains; staff noted linkage coordinators operate at defined caseloads and that some districts have invested additional local positions after seeing program benefits.

The committee approved moving the amendment forward; staff will release an RFP in the coming weeks and deliver the evaluation report to the committee when complete.