Cobb school officials are on the verge of outsourcing the district's alternative school program that serves students booted from middle and high school campuses for behavioral problems.

Board members are expected to vote at their March 20 meeting on a proposal from one of two private companies bidding to run the alternative program from several store-front locations throughout the county.

The cost of the program is expected to reach $1.8 million annually.

The program would serve students under long-term suspension and/or expulsion from school, students with chronic misbehavior issues and provide short term services for students with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled, according to an agenda item discussed by the board at Wednesday's work session. Names of the providers were not announced.

The district's current program — Central Alternative School — is centralized at the Barnes Center in Mableton on the south end of the county. Central Alternative serves 40 to 55 students a day on average.

Jill Kalina, Cobb's chief school leadership officer, estimated that 20 to 30 percent of expelled students chose to sit at home during their expulsion period rather than attending Central Alternative to keep up with their studies.

At least one of the potential providers requires a minimum stay of 18 weeks — one grading period. The curriculum would meet Georgia Performance Standards.

The switch to an outside provider is the school system's latest attempt to increase graduation rates, one yardstick of success under federal No Child Left Behind laws.

If approved, the school district would continue to offer transportation to the sites. The firms under consideration run programs accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and employ highly qualified certified teachers.

The purpose of the program is to keep kids up to speed academically while under long-term suspension and on track for graduation.

Superintendent Fred Sanderson said one of the benefits of privatizing the program is the individualized instruction the students would receive. The teachers are also trained in dealing with students with behavioral issues and can provide counseling.

He said that the alternative program had proved successful in nearby districts, in Georgia and nationally. Names of two companies under consideration were not made public Wednesday pending their response to a request for proposal expected prior to the board meeting on March 20.

Some board members and staff made site visits to one provider's program now being used in Douglas County, said Dale Gaddis, area superintendent.