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Community education reports higher enrollments, new programs and staffing pressures
Summary
Monticello’s community education team reported increased program participation across preschool, enrichment, recreation and adult education, noted staffing challenges for middle-school coaches and laid out plans for winter/spring programming.
Monticello Public School District’s community education staff told the school board on Monday that participation across summer and fall programs increased and that the department is expanding offerings while facing staffing constraints.
Director of Community Education Jeremiah Mack and his team reported 335 students served in some community-education programs this school year, with 56 staff on the program team. The district’s preschool program is serving roughly 237 children (primarily four-year-olds) with year-round sign-up added this fall; staff said tuition rates are higher than many neighboring districts. Community education reported 10 classrooms for preschool offerings, various session structures and a maximum class cap of 25 for nature-based programs.
The team said summer preschool and enrichment participation rose; community education ran 87 youth enrichment classes with 464 total registrations (337 unique participants) and 56 adult enrichment courses with roughly 160 participants. The department also reported 9,700 facility-use hours for non-school events in fiscal year 2025 and 100 distinct facility users (74 in-district, 26 out-of-district). The Northwest Talent Academy (NWTA) ran in June with 34 courses and low cancellation rates.
Staffing and program delivery were recurring themes. Parker Collier, activities and recreation coordinator, said recruitment for volunteer and paid coaches is uneven: girls basketball had four applicants for coaching openings while volleyball remains “definitely a challenge.” Board members and staff said high-school youth enrolled in a youth-services program are helping to expand capacity as junior staff. Adult Basic Education (ABE) programming now includes Milaca as a consortium district, and staff highlighted GED "boot camp" pilots, remote course expansion and statewide-certification offerings.
The community education team said they plan an expanded winter–spring catalog available online Dec. 15 and noted a districtwide postcard mailing the week of Oct. 7 that included levy information. Staff also flagged grant applications underway for theater-auditorium upgrades and reported continued high demand for swimming lessons (nearly 900 students took lessons over 10 weeks of summer programming).
Background and context Community education functions as a district-facing operations unit that runs preschool, enrichment, recreation and adult learning programs. Staff asked the board to note tuition comparisons with neighboring districts, to support ongoing recruitment for coaches and program staff, and to continue coordination with high school programs that supply junior staff and volunteers to expand offerings.
