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Public commenters urge board to reject in‑school YMCA preschool; board schedules MOU review
Summary
Residents told the school board they oppose housing a YMCA preschool inside school buildings, citing mission drift, building neglect and taxpayer costs; the board said no vote will be taken until Feb. 18 and that an MOU returned from the attorney contains edits.
Several residents urged the board to keep daycare separate from public education as the division considers a YMCA preschool proposal and a draft MOU returned with attorney redlines.
Jack Kirby (public commenter, speaker 6) warned of legal and fiscal risks if the division signs facility agreements, saying, “If you agree to this daycare… it’s gonna distract you,” and citing a $300,000 figure he associated with prior county dealings. Richard Hicks (speaker 14) and others urged the board to prioritize core K–12 responsibilities and to avoid spending taxpayer funds on daycare operations in school buildings.
Amy Bohannon Stewart (speaker 11), an educator, said schools should not be perceived as childcare and asked leaders to ensure staff aren’t treated as babysitters: “Why would we want to perpetuate the attitude of school and daycare being one in the same by housing any daycare in our public school building?” she asked.
Board members said the YMCA MOU is still under review and that no vote is scheduled this meeting; the administration confirmed the MOU was returned from the board attorney with comments and that any final action will be on the Feb. 18 meeting agenda. The board emphasized they were only discussing information at this stage and would receive a formal action item at the February meeting.
