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Parents, board press Anchor Bay administration for plan to end SAC wait lists
Summary
Board members pressed administration for a costed plan to eliminate before/after-school-care (SAC) waiting lists after parents and staff reported capacity and licensing delays at several sites.
Board members and the superintendent spent nearly two hours on Aug. 27 discussing shortages in Anchor Bay’s before- and after-school care program (SAC), a service families use to cover care before and after the school day.
The discussion grew from parent concerns — raised in public comment and by several board members — that some sites have long waiting lists and that licensing delays and staffing shortages are limiting available space. A parent speaking during public comment said a paved pathway from a nearby subdivision to Naldred Elementary makes unsupervised wandering a safety risk for a child in the district’s CI (cognitive impairment) program; Superintendent Tim Jankowski said construction and design work for Naldred and other elementary sites gives the district a chance to install a more permanent perimeter fence as part of upcoming construction phases.
Board members asked administration for concrete numbers and a short timetable. Board member Brian Powers asked whether the board would consider using the general fund to backfill SAC salaries so the program could expand. Jankowski said bond proceeds may not be used to pay salaries and that most districts expect SAC to be largely self-sustaining; he asked the board whether it wanted administration to return a plan that would use general-fund dollars.
The board requested three follow-ups from administration: daily enrollment and census data for buses and SAC by building, a count of families on SAC waiting lists by building, and a finance-committee-ready cost estimate showing how much it would cost to eliminate the current wait list if the district (a) kept current parent fees and absorbed the difference from the general fund and (b) raised SAC rates to close the gap. Superintendent Jankowski and staff said they could supply the requested numbers within about one week.
Why it matters: SAC provides childcare that enables many families to work. Waiting lists and licensing delays can push families into private child care or force schedule changes. Board members cautioned that if capacity remains constrained, the district risks losing enrollment to neighboring districts that offer full-day or full-service early-childhood options.
Selected quotes - “If we don't offer it, we're just going to lose that enrollment,” Board Member Miss Knox said. - “My expectation as a board member is I would like to see a plan on how we can fix it,” Board Member Mister Green said. - “We can't expect the community to be all in on investing in our district if we're not going to deliver on the basics,” Board Member Miss Bergmeier said.
Ending: The board directed administration to prepare a financial scenario analysis and enrollment/wait-list reports for the finance committee and the full board within days; members said they want an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to short-term staffing while the district evaluates whether to adjust fees or use general-fund dollars.
