Brockton subcommittee awards FY2026 contract to Youth Guidance for Brockton High supports

The Brockton Public Schools subcommittee voted unanimously to award FY2026 school bid number 26001 to Youth Guidance, a Chicago-based youth services organization, to provide wraparound mentoring, case management and family outreach at Brockton High School.

Principal McCaskill, who introduced the proposal, told the subcommittee Youth Guidance would work with cohorts of male and female students and provide full-time, on-site staff for each program. "The results were tremendous," she said of a pilot at Madison Park, citing improved student attitudes, higher attendance and better classroom performance.

Why it matters: The contract funds a supplemental-services program the district expects to use with students who have attendance or behavioral challenges. Committee members sought specifics on how students would be referred, what data the district would receive and how the vendor differs from other bidders before approving the award.

What was proposed and who it would serve
Principal McCaskill described Youth Guidance as a Chicago-origin organization that expanded into Boston-area schools and said the Brockton program would serve cohorts split by gender. In the packet she referenced 55 male students and 50 female students; at one point during discussion a district representative said the program would serve "110 in total," creating a discrepancy in the record. The district did not provide an authoritative reconciliation of those figures during the meeting.

On services and staffing, Principal McCaskill said the program emphasizes social-emotional learning, mentoring, and progress monitoring inside and outside school, and that staff would work with families. She said Youth Guidance places full-time, in-house staff at the school rather than sending staff in once or twice a week, and described cohorts that meet in smaller groups rather than a single large group.

Evidence and outcomes cited
McCaskill pointed to pilot results at Madison Park, saying attendance for targeted students rose from below 70% to "over 80% of the time" and that teacher referrals and suspensions fell for the same cohorts. "You saw just a massive decrease in the amount of teacher referrals," she said. The subcommittee requested that the district provide measurable data on attendance, referrals and academic performance once the program is up and running; McCaskill said year one is largely start-up and hiring could delay full reporting.

Selection and procurement
When asked how Youth Guidance was chosen over another vendor in the packet, McCaskill said she, Terry and Janet Lannerholm followed the city's procurement and vetting process and concluded Youth Guidance met more selection criteria. Committee members noted the two vendors offered overlapping services but that Youth Guidance's "wraparound" model—including home visits and family contact—was the distinguishing factor.

Motion and vote
Mr. Vega moved to award Youth Guidance the FY2026 supplemental services contract for Brockton High (bid number 26001); Ms. Oliver seconded. The chair called for the vote and the motion passed unanimously; the meeting record does not list individual vote tallies.

Next steps
The district will move to implement hiring and onboarding for year one; McCaskill said continued funding for future years will depend on results and available budgets. The subcommittee did not set a required reporting date at the meeting.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified in the meeting record as Principal McCaskill, Mr. Vega, Ms. Oliver and Ms. Sullivan. The superintendent and the subcommittee chair were present and participated in procedural actions but are not named in the transcript.