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District 186 proposes discounts for families with three SCOPE participants; committee limits reduced-rate weeks to prevent operating losses
Summary
Doctor Jordan told the board the current fee for families who do not receive Community Child Care Connection (CCC) assistance is $115 per child; for a family with three children that equals $345 per week.
District 186's SCOPE after-school program advisory committee recommended changes to pricing and attendance rules that staff said are intended to prevent operating losses while preserving access for families.
Doctor Jordan told the board the current fee for families who do not receive Community Child Care Connection (CCC) assistance is $115 per child; for a family with three children that equals $345 per week. The advisory committee recommended that families apply for CCC first and, if they do not qualify, the district would offer half off the third child's fee to reduce the burden on families of three.
To address program revenue volatility, the committee also proposed limiting the reduced-rate "weeks off" policy ' which previously let families take occasional weeks at a reduced rate ' to two weeks per year (or one per semester). Jordan said district analysis of four representative sites found about $5,000 in lost revenue over one semester at those schools attributable to the reduced-rate weeks; limiting the frequency is intended to help SCOPE approach a break-even operating position.
Jordan also reported SCOPE still has children on waiting lists at some sites and that hiring more staff is the primary constraint; the Springfield Public School Foundation recently donated $10,000 to cover field trips and related costs, and a local County Market car-show fundraiser contributed proceeds to the program.
Board members said they supported the advisory committee's community-driven recommendations but requested regular reporting on SCOPE finances so the board can monitor whether the changes prevent further Ed fund subsidization. Jordan said plans to add structured homework time and other program improvements were part of the committee's recommendations but that some operational changes are subject to collective-bargaining negotiations with the Teamsters.
No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; staff will continue advisory meetings and bring monitoring reports to the board.
