Educational Contract Bidder conference Q and A for CommBuys.docx

Educational Contract bidder’s conference on 2/26/19 with NECC Q/A and Conversation RFR# Bid BD-19-1401-ECSD1-ECSD1-34968

Dasha: Contract is funded by Title One grant for ages between 18 and 21, first 15 hours under Sheriff’s general account and 10 hours under Title One grant and ABE grant is relatively small grant for providing Services. We are looking for assistance on writing ABE and other grants.

Dasha: We are looking for a full time Education Director to be doing Assessment or similar or hire position to do the job.

Dasha: Currently courses provided are ABE Courses, ESL, Computer Literacy courses, Partners with Merromack College- Sociology and Creative Writing. There is tutoring available for inmates wanting to pursue college.

Question: would the Education Director do the TABE testing or someone else?

Dasha: it could be someone else.

Dasha: Job coach and counselor are paid through Title One grant.

Gary/Dasha: Open to suggestions for any services that need to be provided following the compliances of Title One grant.

Question: How many people required services out of 1200, how many will attend classes?

Question: Do you have min/max hours that an individual is required to attend classes?

Jay: ABE grant has minimum hour requirement classes for inmates based on ABE compliance.

Question: We like to provide outcome driven classes, based on our prior experience we provide minimum 6hr/wk and now 9 hr/wk for adult learning classes.

Dasha: Flexibility hours with day and night schedule are preferred.

Christine: Spanish Speaker needed for Lawrence – The Farm.

Question: What would be the relationship with Adcare (current vendor) as far as programs planning?

Kevin: It would be nice overlap if they could retain some from Adcare.

Gary: Flexible on the Schedule or FTE changes if they have any suggestions.

Question: Time need to prepare proposal and budget together might take long and still clarity understanding of the program is required.

Question: How many are currently enrolled in class? Are they drop in-out classes?

Christine: Pre-release/WIT center are all drop in Classes Dasha: Sign-up for classes required.

Jay: Looking into alignment with community-based facility if there is more funding in future.

Question: Persistence and retention - engage and hire people with skills to motivate the individuals to retain people in the class- incentives based classes. Provide transition to college program at Lawrence, the total capacity is 20, that runs 2 semester per program 9 hrs/wk.

Jay: Find strategy to make sure they attend classes. Reduce sentences based on their attendance.

Kevin: Commissary Vendor Aramark will provide potential scholarship to inmates in Serve Safe class. They also partner with a website called PeopleReady that tries to match inmates with inmate friendly employers.

Question: If the inmates at Pre-release center have a way of attending classes, can they do that?

Jimmy: Availability of Job developer FTE in program to assist inmates to find the jobs after their release, work on the resumes that can help them strengthen the program.

Question: Work closely with Mass Hire who can help with job development (sub contract with Mass hire).

Question: Help in Mechanism building- they might be interested to become teachers; substance abuse counselor is there any limitation that might have on them.

Jay: We can clear the pathway if the CORI is necessary.

Question: Estimated funding to work on budget? Do we need to separate the budget by the funding (SDF, ISA, Title One Grant)?

Kevin: Prepare One budget. As long as we have adequate reporting we will figure out what funding buckets to charge.

Dasha: We have proposed 16FTE’s Question: can FTEs be split up among multiple people?

Kevin: Yes if it is easier to staff that way. It does not have to be individuals in an FTE. We would ask vendor to consider current staff. However, the hiring decisions are theirs.

Question: is there a minimum number of hours we want someone in class.

Leah: No, we cannot force inmates to attend class.

Dasha: the classes have to keep their interest.

Question: how many are currently in class.

Dasha: about 150.

Question: how many students in OCC?

Lawrence – 46 Lynn – 36 Salisbury – 48 Question: Could inmates attend class in Lawrence?

Jimmy: Yes, we can work out the transportation Question: does a person’s history prohibit them from pursuing a certain career?

Jimmy: Yes but we can work with education agency to identify restrictions.

Question: how much funding is available?

Kevin: there is a range of between $1M and $1.5M Jay: the guidance counselor would help with retention for classes.

Question: Are we allowed to use technology in all our classes.

Kevin: Yes I think so but we would need to involve our IT director for his suggestion.

Question: How many computers in the computer lab?

Dasha: 13 computers.

Site visit and Walk through on March 8th at 10 am.