Okemos leaders discuss cutting infant/toddler childcare as district faces $1.6M deficit

Superintendent Hood told the Okemos Board of Education that Community Education’s childcare operations have stopped contributing to the district’s general fund and recommended discontinuing Edgewood’s infant and toddler classrooms and a Montessori afternoon enrichment program as part of a strategy to address a $1.6 million revised budget deficit. Hood framed the discussion as a request for board direction, not a formal action.

The district’s child care coordinator, Christina Allegari, and Lara Slee, director of diversity, equity and inclusion, presented a reorganization plan focused on keeping grant-funded Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) classrooms and concentrating district resources on 3- and 4-year-old programming. Allegari said staff had identified families affected by the proposed cuts and that she would provide a fuller household count; she told trustees the district had identified 15 families in the infant/one-year-old program, 11 families in a two-year-old classroom and 11 families in an enrichment classroom and agreed to provide a complete list of affected households on follow-up.

The proposal would discontinue infant and “toddler 1 and toddler 2” rooms and the Montessori afternoon enrichment program, maintain four existing GSRP (state grant-funded) classrooms, continue a tuition-based 3-year-old classroom and keep before-and-after care for preschool and elementary students at Edgewood. The presenters said the infant/toddler programs were running a roughly $250,000 annual loss and the Montessori afternoon enrichment about $82,000.

Allegari outlined a tentative transition timeline: communicate with staff and families in January; finalize staffing plans in February; discontinue infant/one-year-old classrooms on April 30; run remaining enrichment through the last day of school in June and, in August, move children into new classrooms aligned with age and GSRP eligibility. Lara Slee said the district would “make every effort to retain as many people as possible,” but cautioned that credentialing and program requirements mean staff transitions would not be one-for-one.

Trustees pressed for more data and alternatives. Trustee Doxey asked for an exact count of affected families and how many included school-age children; Allegari agreed to return with a full breakdown. Trustee Winn asked about the program’s Great Start to Quality star rating; Allegari said Edgewood is currently at a provisional one-star rating after an August investigation and is working with Great Start supports to restore previous higher ratings. Trustee Cavanaugh asked for current tuition rates and how steep a proposed increase would need to be; Allegari said raising infant/toddler rates by about $500–$550 per month was one option staff had modeled, along with maximizing classroom capacities and adjusting lead teacher hours to reduce the loss.

The superintendent described other drivers of the district budget gap — including a roughly $900,000 environmental remediation expense at Kennewa and a change in how the Ingham ISD distributes special education funding, which Hood said reduced Okemos’s ISD allocation by about $1.1 million annually — stressing that Community Education’s shortfall is one of several pressures. Executive Director Lentz and Hood told trustees that the community-ed shortfall, combined with those other hits, puts the district’s fund balance at risk if not addressed.

Dozens of parents, staff and community members spoke during the public comment period, urging the board to preserve Edgewood (often referred to by commenters as Okemos Kids Club or OKC). Parent Erin Stockall said she had toured a dozen other centers and would be willing to pay higher tuition to keep her children at Edgewood: “I would be willing to increase tuition in order to keep my kids at a day care close to home where I know the quality of care is really good.” Several speakers described multiyear wait lists at other providers and said an abrupt April closure would leave families with no viable local options.

Staff members who addressed the board said they learned of the proposed changes within hours of the meeting and urged more transparent engagement and longer notice. A number of commenters asked the district to present alternative scenarios — including higher tuition, fundraising and partnerships — and to grandfather current enrollees. Several parents and staff framed the childcare operation as a recruitment and retention asset for district employees and as an entry pipeline into grant-funded preschool.

Board members did not take a formal vote on community education programming at the meeting. Hood and the trustees directed staff to return with more data and options. Trustees asked specifically for: (1) the full count of affected families and how many include school-age children; (2) historical enrollment and revenue data from the pre-COVID period when Community Ed formerly contributed to the general fund; (3) modeled scenarios (tuition increases, capacity changes, partnerships) showing when and whether each option would make the childcare operation financially sustainable; and (4) transition and partnership plans to protect families if closures proceed. Hood said an executive committee would work with staff to schedule follow-up and return the requested materials to the board.

Votes at a glance

- Bus purchase: Board approved purchase of two buses from Holland Bus Company, motion passed by voice vote; motion language in the minutes was “award the purchase of 2 buses for the Holland Bus Company not to exceed $3,276,624 and to be funded through 2022 bond.”

- Amended 2024–25 budget: Board approved an amended 2024–25 budget by roll call. Secretary Doxey conducted the roll call; trustees recorded affirmative votes. (Roll call in the minutes recorded all named trustees voting yes.)

- New OHS course (Sports Literature, grades 11–12): Approved 6–1; board minutes record six votes in favor and one opposed.

- Anonymous donation: Board accepted a $35,000 anonymous donation to support youth action research (MSU partnership), scholarships and suicide-prevention training; motion passed by voice vote.

What’s next

Trustees instructed administration to return with the additional data and alternate scenarios before the board makes any decision affecting staff employment or families’ enrollment. The board did not set a final deadline for a decision but indicated the executive committee will schedule the follow-up and that the childcare proposal remains a discussion item pending further information.