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Board briefed on proposed MOU increase for Middleton Youth Center as AmeriCorps position ends
Summary
City and district staff described a proposed update to the long-standing MOU funding the Middleton Youth Center, including an inflationary increase to help replace an AmeriCorps position that is being discontinued.
City and district staff told the board on March 10 that the district's 10-plus-year agreement with the City of Middleton to operate the Middleton Youth Center is being updated to reflect rising staffing costs after the AmeriCorps position that previously supported the program was discontinued.
John, the youth center director, told the board the center runs after-school programming every day school is in session (school-day dismissal until 6 p.m.) and a summer program Monday'Thursday that dovetails with the district's Summer Academy. The center serves roughly 42 students per day during the school year, he said, similar to last summer's daily numbers.
District staff described the MOU as a flat-dollar payment that has not increased in about a decade. The proposed amendment would add incremental increases for the remaining years of the district's current agreement so the city can cover staffing costs, including replacing the AmeriCorps member with part-time city employees. Erin and Assistant Superintendent Jared Rosing summarized the proposed schedule of modest increases to be reflected in the district's 2025-26 budget.
The board asked whether the additional funds would allow the youth center to refill staffing needs; city staff said AmeriCorps slots are being canceled and the support will have to be replaced with part-time employees through the city budget, which is more expensive. The proposed MOU change is on the board agenda for approval at the next meeting and would cover the 2025-26 and subsequent years indicated in the draft.
Board members asked about opportunities to leverage high-school volunteers and existing district programs to support youth-center staffing; city and youth-center staff said the program already employs several high-school junior-counselor positions and that they will continue to explore volunteer and intern options.
No vote was taken at the March 10 meeting; the proposed MOU amendment will return for formal board action at the next regular meeting.
