Approve Cooperative Agreement with Sunshine Youth Services

Sunshine Youth Services contracts with the Department of Juvenile Justice to provide residential commitment programs for juveniles under the supervision of the Department of Juvenile Justice. In Hillsborough County, Sunshine Youth Services owns and operates Riverside Academy, a 165-bed facility for boys who have committed offenses that are related to substance abuse; Hillsborough Academy, a 25-bed facility for boys between the ages of 9 and 14 who are serious habitual offenders; and Columbus Juvenile Residential Facility, a 50-bed facility for boys who have committed non-violent sexual offenses. The School Board must provide educational services to these clients. Since these students are incarcerated, the services must be provided on site.

All district goals, with the exception of Goal 6 – All schools in the district will be assigned a state grade of A, B, or C. Educational programs serving students under the supervision of the Department of Juvenile Justice are not assigned grades by the state.

Sunshine Youth Services provides the facilities for Riverside Academy, Hillsborough Academy and Columbus Juvenile Residential Facility at no cost to the school district. The other components of the programs will be financed by FTE funds, which amount to approximately $968,278. This item is included in the Part 1 budget for 2008-2009.

Each juvenile justice education program is evaluated annually through a quality assurance review conducted by the Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program (JJEEP). This review will be completed by June 30, 2009.