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Explorers after‑school program served 95 students across five schools, director says
Summary
Program director Julie Looney told the Smith County Board of Supervisors the Explorers after‑school program served 95 students this school year, ran Monday–Friday from August to May, and relied on community partnerships and 25 paid staff; she urged expansion and staff pay increases.
Julie Looney, director of the Explorers after‑school program and a school counselor at Marion Senior High School, told the Smith County Board of Supervisors on June 24 that the program served 95 students across five elementary schools during the just‑completed school year.
“Things ended — things went great this year, honestly,” Looney said. “For this school year, we served 5 of the elementary schools in Smith County … We served 95 students total this year, which was incredible.”
Looney said the program ran Monday through Friday from August to May and that staffing includes 25 people who work across the five sites; the program tries to maintain a 10‑to‑1 student‑to‑staff ratio. She said some students were turned away because of staffing limits and that the program saw a net growth of about 15 students since her December update.
The director described a set of community partnerships that she said helped expand programming. She said the public library partnered at Marion Elementary and Oak Point; a Spanish teacher from Marion Middle School and Marion Senior provided twice‑monthly Spanish lessons at some sites; and students from a health sciences program delivered a healthy‑lifestyles unit at Oak Point. She said the Marion Senior Student Council Association will collaborate next year to allow high school students to earn community‑service hours.
On future goals, Looney said she aims to add Rich Valley and Saltville elementary schools to the program, implement an online cashless payment option, hold a staff orientation at the start of the year that includes substitutes, pursue staff pay increases, and seek sponsorships or scholarships for families who cannot afford the weekly fee. She described scholarships as a priority to increase access for low‑income families.
Board members and several public commenters praised the program. One resident said the program “is needed” and thanked staff for their work; several other speakers urged exploring scholarship or donation mechanisms to make the program affordable for more families.
Looney offered to share her presentation and detailed numbers with the board. She did not provide final budget or grant award figures during the presentation; she said discussions about raises had been held with county staff but that the board process and budget outcome were “not specified” in her report.
