Centerville superintendent proposes YMCA takeover of Voyager after‑school; board delays vote after parents object

Centerville City Superintendent Wazni proposed a contract to move the district’s Voyager after‑school program to the YMCA, saying the partnership would keep programming on school sites, offer additional staff and scholarship support and could slightly lower family fees. After roughly an hour of questions from board members and a string of public comments from Voyager staff and parents asking for more details, the Board of Education voted to table the proposal for two weeks and to hold a special meeting to allow further community input.

Wazni told the board the YMCA already serves 16 school districts in the region and had approached Centerville with a proposal that would keep all K–5 after‑school programming at the district’s elementary buildings rather than moving it off site. He said the Y had offered to hire Voyager staff “at the rate of pay they are now, at the very minimum,” provide two staff members in each elementary building daily (a district value of about $60,000), and to make scholarships and other public funding available to families who need help paying fees. “I know there’s been a lot of communication via social media or some information that’s been out that’s been inaccurate, stating that we’ve had plans to move the program off‑site. That has never been a part of our conversation,” Wazni said.

Why it matters: Voyager is the district’s long‑running, in‑school before and after‑school program. Parents and staff said the program’s quality and local staff are critical to families’ decisions to enroll; any change could affect care for working families and the district’s staffing patterns.

Wazni said the YMCA’s fee structure would be hourly rather than a single annual fee and presented a line comparison pulled from websites: the district’s Voyager annualized figure shown to families was $3,168; the YMCA option was presented as $3,040 annually for an 8‑hour schedule (listed as $8 per hour or up to $80 per week). He also said the YMCA had offered up to 10 hours per week of free program time for district employees and a free summer membership for students in grades 7 and 8 as part of the partnership.

Voyager director Kendall Cook told the board she and Voyager staff had “a lot of unanswered questions” and asked the board to extend its timeline so staff could review the written agreement. “Would you sign something or agree to something without being able to read the agreement? It’s not been shared with us,” Cook said. Several parents echoed that request. Ginger Rogers, a Voyager parent, said the change “felt a little like a betrayal” after the district’s recent levy campaign and asked the board to allow more time for community review.

Board members asked about background checks, staff rehiring, and program quality. Wazni said YMCA staff would undergo the district’s standard background checks including FBI and BCI checks and that the YMCA had procedures for compliance in districts where it already operates. He said principals and central office administrators had been briefed and that elementary principals viewed the proposal as a chance to add supervision and staffing support.

Wazni acknowledged the timeline had moved quickly and took responsibility for that pace, saying he had worked first with the district’s administrative team before bringing the idea to the full board. He said families who had already paid Voyager fees would either have those payments applied to YMCA billing or be reimbursed if they declined to participate.

Public comment focused on staffing and program continuity. Cook said staff wanted to stay with the district and wanted assurance their voices would be heard; parents repeatedly asked for the contract and for a meeting with YMCA representatives. One public commenter said she had opened a petition that had collected about 206 signatures and asked the board to include Voyager staff and parents in negotiations.

After the public comment period and board discussion, the board agreed to postpone the vote and to organize a community meeting with YMCA representatives. The board’s formal action was to table the item for two weeks and plan a special meeting to vote after additional information and a community session were scheduled.

What’s next: The board set a two‑week delay and said it would announce a special meeting and outreach opportunities. District officials said they planned to distribute FAQs and to share the written agreement with Voyager staff as soon as possible so staff and families could review contract language before the vote.