College AIM and DCSD Memorandum of Understanding (26-27) (1)

                      MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN

                                       COLLEGE AIM, INC.

                                               AND

                             DEKALB COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

PURPOSE

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) confirms an understanding and outlines the terms
of cooperation between the DeKalb County School District (hereinafter referred to as “School
District”) and College AIM, INC (hereinafter referred to as “College AIM”), a non-profit
organization located at 342 South McDonough Street, Decatur, GA 30030). College AIM drives
economic mobility for students and communities by guiding and supporting high school students
to and through college, including technical college, two-year colleges and four-year institutions,
and into careers. College AIM (among other things) provides individual postsecondary coaching,
takes students on college and career visits, counsels students regarding financial, academic
and social support services through college graduation, provides scholarships and access to
scholarship opportunities, helps students expand their professional networks, and supports with
post-credential career entry. The School District operates public schools in DeKalb County,
including McNair High School (hereinafter referred to as “McNair”), Stone Mountain High School
(hereinafter referred to as “Stone Mountain”), Towers High School (hereinafter referred to as
“Towers”), Cross Keys High School (hereinafter referred to as “Cross Keys”), Lithonia High
School (hereinafter referred to as “Lithonia”), and Druid Hills High School (hereinafter referred to
as “Druid Hills”).

Collectively, the aforementioned parties will work together towards the following primary
outcomes:

A.​ At least 60% of Class of 2027 graduates from Towers, McNair, Stone Mountain, Cross Keys,
    and Lithonia high schools will enroll in a postsecondary education program within 16 months of
    high school graduation.
B.​ Class of 2027 graduates from Towers, McNair, Stone Mountain, Cross Keys, and Lithonia
    graduates will collectively secure at least $50 million in grant and scholarship offers.
C.​ At least 55% of Class of 2027 graduates from Towers, McNair, Stone Mountain, Cross Keys,
    and Lithonia high schools will complete the FAFSA by 7/31/27.
D.​ At least 80% of enrolled Class of 2026 graduates receiving College AIM’s individual coaching
    will earn a credential or persist to year two of their postsecondary education program by
    9/30/27.

To reach these outcomes, College AIM will also work towards intermediary goals including:
E.​ 90% of seniors receiving College AIM’s individual coaching will have match/fit-oriented college
    lists built by 1/31/27
F.​ 90% of seniors receiving College AIM’s individual coaching will apply to college by 7/31/27




                                                                                                  1
G.​ 60% of seniors receiving College AIM’s individual coaching will complete individual financial
    analysis meetings by 7/31/27
H.​ 60% of seniors receiving College AIM’s individual coaching will complete their intent to enroll in
    a postsecondary education program by 7/31/28

Collectively, the School District and College AIM will work towards the following outcomes for their
pilot program at Druid Hills:
I. At least 80% of Class of 2027 graduates within the pilot program at Druid Hills will enroll in a
postsecondary education program within 16 months of high school graduation.
J. Class of 2027 graduates within the pilot program at Druid Hills will collectively secure at least $2
million in grant and scholarship offers.
K. At least 75% of Class of 2027 within the pilot program at Druid Hills will complete the FAFSA by
7/31/27.

TERM

This Memorandum of Understanding outlines the partnership between College AIM and DeKalb
County School District during the term of August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.

ROLES OF EACH PARTY

A. Role of College AIM During the 2026-2027 School Year and 2027 Summer

During the 2026-2027 School Year, College AIM will collaborate with the respective
administrations and counseling departments of McNair, Stone Mountain, Towers, Cross Keys,
Lithonia, and Druid Hills, as well as district staff, to coordinate the programming and schedule
for College AIM’s activities in partnership each school for the 2026-2027 school year.

Once scheduled with the school administration, counseling department and other school and
district staff, College AIM will provide full-school “postsecondary prep” programming at McNair,
Stone Mountain, Towers, Cross Keys, and Lithonia. Programming would include postsecondary
advising for 12th grade students, continued postgraduate coaching for enrolled students and
postsecondary exposure for 9th-11th grade students.

Additionally, College AIM will pilot a targeted program at Druid Hills, focused on 12th Grade
postsecondary advising during Year 1 of the pilot. Simultaneously, College AIM will partner with
school leaders at Druid Hills and District personnel to develop a more comprehensive program,
that is both tailored to specific school needs and scalable to other schools with similar resources
and student populations, to expand programming at Druid Hills and beyond in subsequent
years.

12th Grade - Postsecondary Advising

  I.​   Individual Coaching for 12th grade students who select “Enrollment” as their postgraduate
        pathway. Topics include building a college list focused on high-ROI enrollment pathways,
        application planning and submission, essay writing and editing, scholarship search and
        application support, financial analysis to minimize student debt, family engagement in the


                                                                                                   2
         postsecondary process, and transition support to ensure that students effectively enroll in
         postsecondary credential programs. College AIM suggests ideal caseloads of 150 students
         to 1 College AIM Access Coach for 12th grade students to optimize student outcomes and
         coach effectiveness.
 II.​    Monthly college and career visits to local four-year colleges, community colleges,
         technical colleges, and post-credential employers
 III.​   College Admit Day - on-site admissions and scholarship event, hosting 20+ colleges who
         provide free application, admissions and scholarship opportunities
 IV.​    Signing Day - student celebration, including significant scholarship awards and
         announcements
  V.​    Exposure and support workshops including FAFSA completion, visits from partner
         organizations and postsecondary institutions, scholarship application support and college
         essay writing and editing
 VI.​    Access to $1M+ in College AIM student specific scholarship opportunities annually,
         including: CAPS Scholarship (Average 15 students/year), Rhodes College full scholarship,
         Genevieve Ramsey Scholarship, BLEST Scholarship, 9East Scholarship, DeKalb Alphas
         Scholarship, DeBarr Future Leaders Scholarship and Dell Scholarship. Students also
         receive significant support with FAFSA and CSS Profile completion and applications for
         additional external scholarships.

Postgraduate - Continued Coaching for Enrolled Students

  I.​    Monthly individual coaching sessions for students enrolled in postsecondary education
         programs. Topics include: mapping campus resources, seeking academic support, securing
         additional financial aid, developing professional networks and connecting credentials to
         career opportunities. College AIM suggests ideal caseloads of 100 students to 1 College
         AIM Success Coach for postgraduate students to optimize student outcomes and coach
         effectiveness.
 II.​    Monthly career development workshops, open to all College AIM Collegians and alumni.
         Topics include: internship search and application support, developing resumes and effective
         networking strategies.
 III.​   Access to student-initiated support from College AIM Success Coaches for emergent
         academic, social and financial coaching.
 IV.​    Re-enrollment support for College AIM students who have stopped out of their
         postsecondary credential programs, with a focus on enrolling at high-ROI institutions that
         provide stronger academic, social and financial matches than their previous institutions.
 V.​     Career-entry support from College AIM’s preferred economic mobility partners.
         Outcomes include internships through CareerSpring and network-building opportunities
         through Inspire Brands, Georgia Power, Synovus Bank and additional corporate partners.
VI.​     Wrap-around services from College AIM’s preferred community partners. Support
         includes up to $10,000 in grocery story gift cards annually from Invisible Food Pantry,
         individual mentorship from the Leadership Empowerment Project, transition support to
         minimize student debt from The Leap Year, and others to support student basic needs.




                                                                                                3
 VII.​   Access to a pool of $40k in emergency financial support to cover costs that would
         otherwise prohibit students from remaining enrolled and persisting towards postsecondary
         credentials, including but not limited to books, housing, meal plans, transportation and
         medical needs.
VIII.​   Continued Alumni coaching for College AIM students who’ve earned postsecondary
         credentials to provide ongoing career support and guidance regarding graduate school
         enrollment.
 IX.​    Alumni engagement opportunities to serve as volunteers within College AIM’s
         programming, and on staff, the Advisory Board, and the Board of Directors.


9th-11th Grade - Postsecondary Exposure

Programming for 9th-11th grade students will be co-designed with school leaders to tailor
experiences to school and student needs, structures and schedules. A sequence of
underclassmen experiences will help students understand the value of postsecondary
education, learn how to access college, connect their career goals to required postsecondary
credentials, and explore postsecondary education opportunities. Programming may include:

   I.​   Group workshops run in collaboration with postsecondary, community and corporate
         partners to help students understand the return on investment (ROI) of postsecondary
         education, learn what colleges look for on applications and map career pathways to required
         postsecondary credentials.
  II.​   College visits to Metro Atlanta institutions to allow students to experience campus
         firsthand–programming may include guided campus tours, shared meals on campus,
         student panels and interactions with admissions and financial aid representatives.
 III.​   Career visits to College AIM’s corporate partners to provide exposure to career pathways
         and opportunities with those companies, professional guidance on navigating the path
         through college and into careers and grow students’ professional networks.
 IV.​    Engagement opportunities with DeKalb County School District and College AIM
         alumni to learn about pathways from DeKalb County School District through postsecondary
         education and into careers and expand students’ professional networks.

Additional School and District Support

   I.​   Plaques to recognize partner schools for partnership milestones, to be designed and
         awarded in collaboration with DCSD staff.
  II.​   Training for designated DCSD staff. Training will be provided at least twice annually
         for select school-based and District personnel on topics related to postsecondary
         enrollment and completion. More specificity will be determined in concert with DCSD
         leaders, based on identified needs.




                                                                                                 4
To fulfill these roles, a team of two College AIM staff members will support each partner high
school. These individuals will include a Postsecondary Access Coach and Postsecondary
Success Coach, with roles as follows:

  I.​    The Postsecondary Access Coach will serve as the team lead, conducting all
         postsecondary advising for 12th grade students and exposure efforts for 9th-11th grade
         students, listed above. The Postsecondary Access Coach will be a full-time College AIM
         employee, based at each partner high school.
 II.​    The Postsecondary Success Coach will work with postgraduate students, to provide
         continued coaching for enrolled students, as listed above. The Postsecondary Success
         Coach will be a full-time College AIM employee, with time split between the partner high
         school and remote work to support students who are enrolled in college.

B. Role of School District During 2025-2026 School Year and 2026 Summer

During the 2025-2026 school year, School District will provide to College AIM data on McNair,
Stone Mountain, Towers, Cross Keys, Lithonia and Druid Hills students, as outlined below and
to be detailed further in a data sharing agreement upon signing of the MOU, for the purpose of
tracking such students to and through college. Furthermore, School District will provide:

  I.​    Designated space at McNair, Stone Mountain, Towers, Cross Keys, Lithonia and Druid
         Hills, for College AIM programming, with the specific space to be determined by each
         partner school’s administration;
 II.​    Access to students at McNair, Stone Mountain, Towers, Cross Keys, Lithonia and Druid
         Hills both during the school day and after school, with the intent of minimizing or
         eliminating missed instructional time, as agreed upon with the administration and staff of
         each school;
 III.​   $45,000 in funding per “full-school” partner (Towers, McNair, Stone Mountain, Cross
         Keys and Lithonia), totalling $225,000;
 IV.​    School buses for local college exposure programming, with nine trips per full-school
         partner, totalling $15,000; and
 V.​     The School District’s best efforts in collaborating and partnering with College AIM in
         applying for grants from external sources, including, but not limited to, joint funding
         applications, joint meetings with potential funders and letters of support for grant
         applications.

Outline of Data Sharing, to be detailed further in a data sharing agreement upon signing of the
MOU:

On at least an annual basis, according to the timeline established by College AIM, DCSD shall
collect data pertaining to student demographics, course enrollment, site characteristics and
related outcomes specified by College AIM and provide that data to College AIM via their secure
web portal. DCSD shall also submit such individual student academic and disciplinary data
concerning College AIM participants as College AIM may specify. College AIM’s data collection
process conforms to the privacy protections specified in the Federal Family Educational Rights



                                                                                                  5
and Privacy Act (FERPA). College AIM will maintain as confidential any personally identifiable
student information or information that is privileged or confidential under federal or state law and
that is conspicuously marked by DCSD as “privileged” or “confidential” before DCSD delivers to
College AIM. College AIM will destroy all individual student data when it is no longer needed for
reporting purposes. DCSD reserves the right to withhold, revise, and/or edit certain confidential
data such as student names, Social Security numbers and any other information the disclosure
of which would violate FERPA. College AIM agrees not to use any of the data collected under
this section in a manner that would violate, or cause DCSD to violate, any applicable provision
of FERPA. These data will be outlined in a Data Sharing Agreement, to be signed by both
DCSD and College AIM, prior to any data sharing between the aforementioned organizations.

REPORTING & MEETINGS

College AIM will provide quarterly impact data reports and an end of year impact data report
with data to demonstrate progress towards all projected outcomes during the following months:
October 2026, January 2027, April 2027, and June 2027. Reports will be reviewed by DCSD
and discussed to determine success of joint programming and adjustments needed to support
student success.

Members of both parties will meet at least monthly to discuss progress towards joint goals,
provide program updates and make strategic decisions about program implementation.
“Members” should include College AIM’s most senior program leader and the School District’s
Executive Director of Student Advancement. Both parties may opt to include other members of
their organizations in monthly meetings to further collaboration around joint programming and
goals.

Additionally, College AIM and the School District will develop a regular meeting and reporting
cadence for collaboration between school-based staff from College AIM and DCSD.

School-level meetings will occur at least monthly at each school and will include College AIM’s
Postsecondary Access Coach and Postsecondary Success Coach, as well as a school
administrator, school counselor, as assigned by the respective school, and the school’s
Postsecondary Transition Specialist and Senior Advisors. Both parties may opt to include other
members of their organizations or members of other organizations providing students at the
respective school with postsecondary attainment support in monthly meetings to further
collaboration around joint programming and goals.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

DCSD shall compensate College AIM a total of $225,000 for services rendered under this
Memorandum of Understanding. Payment shall be made in four equal installments of $56,250
each, corresponding to the successful completion of quarterly meetings. These meetings shall
take place in October 2026, January 2027, April 2027, and June 2027. DCSD will remit payment
to College AIM within thirty (30) days following the completion of each meeting, contingent upon
confirmation of satisfactory performance and submission of any required documentation.

TERMINATION


                                                                                                   6
DCSD and College AIM both reserve the right to terminate this Memorandum of Understanding
with thirty (30) days written notice if agreed-upon progress goals are not met, as determined
through joint review at quarterly meetings, or if funding shortfalls arise that materially impact the
feasibility or scope of the program. In such an event, both parties agree to engage in good faith
discussions to assess the situation and explore potential modifications before termination. Any
termination shall not relieve either party of obligations incurred prior to the effective date of
termination.

BACKGROUND CHECKS

Prior to student contact, College AIM will ensure that each employee or volunteer who has
contact with students at McNair, Stone Mountain, Towers, Cross Keys, or Lithonia, has
undergone the same criminal background check as is required of School District employees, in
addition to any mandatory background checks performed by College AIM for such employees
and volunteers. College AIM agrees that any individual charges against such persons revealed
by such background checks may be deemed unacceptable by the School District, in its sole
discretion.

INSURANCE

College AIM and all of its subcontractors and consultants, if any, will maintain insurance in the
types and coverage amounts shown below, providing coverage for the term of this MOU. Before
the commencement of its activities hereunder, College AIM will provide School District with (A)
an endorsement from the insurer naming School District as an additional insured under the
liability policies, and (B) certificate(s) verifying that these insurance coverages and limits are in
force. College AIM waives all rights, including rights of subrogation, against School District and
its respective directors, officers, partners, board members, officials, agents, insurers,
subcontractors, consultants and employees for damages covered by any type of insurance
during and after the completion of College AIM’s activities hereunder. The limits of coverage
agreed upon by College AIM and School District will not be construed as a limit on College
AIM’s potential liability to School District.

 Type of Insurance                            Coverage Limits

 Commercial General Liability Coverage        $2,000,000 (Aggregate)/$1,000,000 (Per Incident)

 Professional Liability Coverage              $2,000,000 (Aggregate)/$1,000,000 (Per Incident)

 Sexual or Physical Abuse or Molestation      $500,000 (Aggregate)/$500,000 (Per Incident)



DeKalb County School District

By: ______________________________

Date: ____________________________

Printed Name and Title: ______________________________________


                                                                                                    7
x/




College AIM, Inc.

By: ______________________________

Date: ____________________________

Printed Name and Title: Sam Aleinikoff, Founder and Executive Director, College AIM




                                                                                      8