KISD looks at program to help dropouts

Simon Property Group, a mall developer, funds foundation to assist students

Up to 300 youths who should be filling seats at Katy ISD schools now roam anywhere but inside classrooms.

That estimate for KISD’s dropouts is but a fraction of the thousands who graduate from the district each year. But behind the estimate are faces of former students who, for one reason or another, did not continue their education.

These youths are likely never to return to the district or possibly school at all. A program being considered by Katy ISD would seek to change that.

Named the Simon Youth Foundation, the nationwide nonprofit program has impressed district trustees, who agreed to schedule a meeting soon to discuss further details before making a financial commitment.

“If we could recoup (dropout) students to come back into a learning environment and eventually graduate from Katy ISD and ultimately earn that diploma, we think that that’s a great piece and a piece that (Katy ISD is) missing,” said Chief Academic Officer Christine Caskey, who leads a team formed to analyze the foundation’s plausibility for the district.

Simon Property Group, a

shopping mall developer, created Simon Youth Fundation in 1999 to partner with school districts to create a program aimed at graduating at-risk students.

The foundation provides a location separate from district facilities where students learn on flexible schedules through a curriculum based on one-on-one, online-concentrated learning in a controlled environment. For dropouts with schedule restraints such as day jobs or who fear attending a traditional school, SYF is a way for them to achieve graduation, Caskey said.

The program would also provide $1 million in university scholarships to graduates of the program through Katy ISD.

To participate, a school district must have a Simon Group property within its boundaries, in this case Katy Mills mall. There, a 5,000-square-foot space separate from retail areas would become the learning environment. Caskey promised the space would be tightly watched to counter temptation for students to wander into the mall.

“The mall provides a different type of atmosphere,” Caskey said. “It’s a safer learning environment where (dropouts) might be more willing to come in.”

Nationally, the SYF graduates 90 percent of its classes at 25 academies spread across the country, including two in Texas. Katy ISD would provide the teachers and learning tools such as the technology — a financial commitment the district said is feasible. The district’s first SYF class would enroll roughly 50 students split between morning and afternoon blocks, eventually growing to a total of 120 students.

The foundation first approached Katy ISD in July. Superintendent Alton Frailey bought into the potential partnership for the district and helped set a date for trustees to hear the idea.

“(The foundation) has a lot to offer us. We get approached by a lot of folks and we can’t associate with just anybody. We wanted to make certain it was feasible and sustainable,” Frailey said. “This, I think, we can do. The return will be worth the investment.”

In 2008, Katy ISD opened Martha Raines High School as an alternative educational complex that, much like the foundation, teaches through project-based learning and is online-focused for students who need an unconventional path to their diplomas.

With SYF, the district sees added advantages from the intimate and much smaller learning environment.

The district did not respond to questions regarding how it would pay for the program, but trustees praised the idea.

“Do we believe this would create an opportunity for success that certain students wouldn’t get otherwise? And the answer to that is undeniably yes,” trustee Bryan Michalsky said. “It creates an opportunity for students we would otherwise not reach.”

Said trustee Henry Dibrell: “I think this is wonderful. I think this is what this community needs at this time.”

Caskey’s group plans next to develop a letter of intent, memorandum of understanding and budget to present to the board.