Board OKs higher community education fees, trims partner-district discount
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Summary
After a presentation on operational savings including shelf-stable milk, the board approved a 5% average rate increase for community education programs and reduced the partner-district employee tuition discount to 10%; the motion passed unanimously.
Dr. Stair presented proposed rates for the district’s community education programs for 2026–27, recommending a 5% increase across most programs and a larger increase for peer mentor preschool offerings that remain below market averages.
He outlined options to reduce the partner-district employee tuition discount, saying removing the discount entirely would save roughly $34,000 annually and cutting it in half would save about $17,000. He also described operational changes aimed at cutting waste: adopting shelf-stable milk to reduce unopened milk waste and ordering fewer snacks while keeping shelf-stable backup supplies. “This year our milk budget is $90,000 just for milk,” Dr. Stair said, and the change to shelf-stable milk is projected to save about $20,000 this year.
Board members praised the cost-saving measures and called the 10% discount proposal a reasonable compromise to keep some benefit for partner-district employees while reducing the district’s net subsidy. Ms. Moran moved to adopt the rates as presented; the motion was seconded and the board voted unanimously to approve the rates.
What happens next: Staff will publish updated fee schedules for community education and implement the revised discount and operational ordering practices for snacks and milk.