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Burlington committee approves modest after‑school fee increases, asks for data on impact
Summary
The Burlington Public Schools committee approved modest rate increases and program changes for after‑school care, with administrators promising follow‑up enrollment and staffing data and outreach to families reliant on later pickup times.
The Burlington Public Schools School Committee approved modest increases to after‑school program fees and several operational changes intended to sustain program quality and staff pay while addressing rising costs.
At the committee meeting, program coordinator Missus Haverty said the district currently serves about 500 students in after‑school programs and about 100 in before‑school programs. She proposed modest monthly increases intended to cover rising operating costs and wages: a five‑day slot would rise by $10 a month, several smaller adjustments were proposed for 4‑, 3‑ and 2‑day slots, and the drop‑in rate was proposed to increase from $55 to $70 per day. Haverty also recommended closing during the December break in line with peer programs and reducing operating hours at the Marshall Simons site from 6:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to better match pickup patterns and staffing needs.
Council members pressed for more data before finalizing the change. Mister Brooks asked for enrollment and staffing numbers by school and for a clearer explanation of the cost drivers behind the proposal; he warned that incremental rate changes multiplied across hundreds of students could materially affect the budget. Haverty said administrators would provide the requested figures when staff return and confirmed the changes would take effect next school year, with in‑house enrollment beginning March 30 and public registration opening April 6.
Committee members also raised concerns about families who rely on the later 5:30–6:00 p.m. pickup at the middle school. Haverty said the program logs pickup times and that the average number of children picked up between 5:30 and 6:00 is about three; she agreed to contact those families directly to assess hardship and to accommodate where necessary.
A motion to approve the program changes as described passed after discussion. Committee members said they supported keeping the program financially sustainable but asked administration to return with the requested enrollment, staffing and operational cost detail before implementing further increases.
The committee recorded the vote approving the program changes; administration will follow up with the detailed data and outreach to impacted families.
