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District names YMCA sole ELOP vendor for 2025–26 as funding uncertainty grows
Summary
Director Jeff Chang recommended YMCA of Silicon Valley as the district’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) vendor for 2025–26; trustees heard budgetary risks as state ELOP allocations have fluctuated and staff warned further adjustments will be needed.
Director Jeff Chang briefed trustees on MBWSD plus, the umbrella for the district’s after‑school and intersession programs, and recommended contracting the YMCA of Silicon Valley as the sole ELOP vendor for 2025–26.
Why it matters: Expanded learning serves about 1,100 students daily (with roughly 700 in summer) and is funded largely by two restricted state sources — the After School Education and Safety Grant (ACES) and the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) — both of which limit the district’s spending flexibility.
Program overview. Chang said MBWSD plus combines the district’s in‑house Beyond the Bell program and community partners Right at School and YMCA. "MBWST plus Expanded Learning is the umbrella term for our district sponsored after school and intersession programs," Chang said. He explained ELOP rules require the district to offer programming to all TK–6 unduplicated pupils and obligate the district to provide transportation and health/safety supports where needed.
RFP and vendor selection. The district ran a request for proposals and received 15 submissions. Chang said the review team considered program quality, cost, equity and transition costs. The recommendation to award YMCA of Silicon Valley as the single ELOP vendor for 2025–26 reflected the YMCA’s capacity to scale and provide consistent service; Beyond the Bell will continue to operate ACES and ELOP programs at several sites and to expand at two sites in 2025–26.
Budget outlook and constraints. Chang told trustees that ELOP funding has become less predictable and that annual apportionments have dropped over the last three years; a modest state bump was not expected to preserve carryover into 2026–27. He described the district’s historical enrollment response rate (about 60–65% of families invited) and said special‑education related costs for summer staffing are a growing budget pressure. "We’ll bring you back the topic of the ELOP finances next school year so that we can explore our options for a sustainable and high quality MBWST plus expanded learning program," he said.
Next steps. Staff will present the ELOP program plan and the YMCA contract for board approval at a future meeting and run parent surveys on after‑school needs; trustees asked staff to consider sliding‑scale or other approaches used by nearby districts.
Ending: Trustees asked staff to prepare a follow‑up presentation on financial sustainability and to involve families in planning; no formal vendor contract was approved at this meeting.
