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Tell City board weighs options as federal after‑school grant ends this July
Summary
Board members debated four options to sustain the On Target after‑school program after a federal 21st Century grant ends in July, including bare‑bones supervision, parent fees, partnering with the YMCA, or ending the program; the board asked the YMCA to present in April and asked staff to model subsidy scenarios.
Tell City-Troy Twp School Corp officials told the school board on March 10 that a federal 21st Century On Target grant that has funded after‑school programming will expire this July, leaving the district to choose how — or whether — to continue services.
Superintendent John said the district will receive its final grant payment in July and warned the board the program “will be done and have nothing to replace the On Target money with.” He laid out four options: cut the program to basic supervision (estimated at about $140,000 for 150 students), charge parents to attend, contract with the YMCA (which offered a tiered rate structure), or discontinue the program.
Board members questioned financial and operational implications. One member said charging families risks sharply reduced participation: “If we start having to charge, not everybody's going to come,” a point several trustees echoed. John cautioned that fewer students would raise per‑student costs and complicate staffing decisions.
The YMCA’s price examples were discussed during the meeting: member rates were cited at roughly $12 a day and non‑member rates higher; tiered discounts for free‑and‑reduced children were noted. Trustees also described collection and transportation logistics as significant practical hurdles if the district shifted to a paid model.
Several board members proposed a short transition subsidy while the district explores long‑term options. One trustee suggested repurposing $140,000 over two years (about $70,000 per year) to help offset YMCA fees or subsidize family costs while numbers are modeled. John said he would run scenarios showing the effect of different attendance levels (for example, a drop from 150 to 100 students) and report back in April.
The board did not take a final vote on continuing the district‑run program. Instead it voted to invite YMCA representatives to the April board meeting to present details and to ask district staff to model fiscal scenarios and subsidy impacts between now and April. Trustees stressed they want to avoid abruptly ending services for working families but acknowledged rainy‑day funds are not a sustainable long‑term source if the state or federal funding does not return.
Next steps: the superintendent will run cost scenarios reflecting likely attendance changes and proposed district subsidies and will arrange YMCA representatives to present at the April meeting.
