The Iowa City Community School District told its board on Tuesday it is considering a pilot next year that would have the district operate before‑and‑after‑school programs at four elementary schools, with Neighborhood Centers in Johnson County remaining a partner.

Deputy Superintendent Matt Ramey introduced the proposal and said the district wants to test whether taking over operations at Alexander, Garner, Twain and Wood would improve consistency of hours, reduce costs for families and increase program equity. "We have proposed ... the district would begin operating before and after school programs at Alexander, Grant, Twain and Garner next year as a pilot," Ramey said during his presentation.

Board members focused questions on family access to state childcare assistance, licensing timelines and staffing. Corinne (district staff) said the district intends to become licensed so parents who use childcare assistance can access the district‑run sites and that transition work is in the early planning stages. "We absolutely intend to get licensed through the state, which then would allow us ... to accept childcare assistance across the sites," she said.

Staff said they are modeling tuition, enrollment and staffing to try to run a self‑sustaining program while keeping costs affordable. A district presenter said enrollment levels will determine financial sustainability, and the first staffing steps would include hiring a leader experienced with BASP operations who would then recruit site directors and staff; existing providers would be encouraged to apply to continue working at sites if they choose.

Several directors urged the administration to collaborate closely with current parent‑run boards and community providers to avoid displacing longtime volunteers and to preserve locally run programs. "I hope that we can bring those people along with us in this conversation and that they don't feel ... left behind," said one director during the discussion.

Superintendent Matt Degner and staff framed the plan as an exploratory, time‑limited pilot with data collection and a sustainability review the following year. The board did not take action on the pilot at the meeting; staff said it would continue planning and return with more specifics and implementation timelines.

The next step officials described was to continue discussions this spring, initiate licensing and, if the board directs, begin the pilot in the fall while collecting enrollment, family‑feedback and cost data for a year before deciding whether to continue or expand the program.