The Millard Public Schools Foundation announced plans for a new Foundation Activity Center intended to host youth programs and generate revenue for the district, Millard Public Schools leaders said at the board’s July meeting.

District Superintendent John Schwartz said the foundation’s proposal is meant to keep program access “as close to home as possible” for Millard families and to lower costs for parents. “No taxpayer dollars are going to be used,” Schwartz said during his superintendent remarks.

Why it matters: Board members said the center could reduce travel and fees families now pay to access extracurricular spaces outside the district, while the foundation’s revenue model could return ongoing funds to support district programs as the foundation has done for decades.

Schwartz told the board the foundation’s current Spark/KidsNet program began in 1986 and that Millard receives about $1 million a year from the foundation and nearly $200,000 in scholarships for graduates. He said the new activity center grew from more than a year of planning and committee work and seeks to serve families who now travel outside Millard to participate in activities.

Board members reiterated support. Amanda (board member) said she was “very excited” about the new building and noted the high cost families face when traveling to outside facilities. Another board member, Mike (board member), said the foundation had difficulty finding an appropriately priced site but that the district had set aside land during earlier planning that ultimately made this location possible. He said critics who argue the center is intended to “pull kids away from other districts” were incorrect and that the center is “about serving our kids.”

Carlos Castillo, identified in board remarks as the person the board recruited and who has led foundation efforts, was thanked by board members for his leadership on the project. Board members said the foundation will pursue future phases and fundraising once phase one is operating.

Board members described the foundation as a longstanding and high-capacity partner that already supports summer and out-of-school programs. Superintendent Schwartz said Millard’s summer-school program served 2,605 students this year — a number he noted would make the summer program, if counted alone, the 20th-largest district in Nebraska.

No board vote or formal policy action on the activity center took place at the meeting; board members limited their remarks to recognition and questions about siting and fundraising. The board repeatedly noted the foundation’s promise that the project would not use tax dollars and said future phases and fundraising would follow once the initial phase is underway.

Board members and district staff said they will continue to brief the community as details on site plans, fundraising, and timeline are finalized.