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Newark Unified board directs staff to craft fee‑based after‑school option after $1 million state allocation drop
Summary
District staff told the board that a CDE reallocation of Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) funds left Newark Unified roughly $1 million short of earlier expectations; the board voted 4–0 to direct staff to develop a self‑funded fee model for non‑eligible families while negotiating with vendor Think Together and pursuing other mitigation steps.
The Newark Unified School District board voted to direct staff to design a fee‑based after‑school program for families who do not qualify for unduplicated‑pupil (UP) funding after staff reported an unexpected $1 million reduction in the district's ELOP allocation.
Superintendent Car described the update as “very late developing news” and asked staff to present the financial and programmatic effects. Karen Allard told the board the CDE published new ELOP allocations that reduced the district’s per‑pupil allocation (the general allocation amount changed from $1,575 to $1,280), producing about a $1 million gap versus spring planning assumptions.
The reduction resulted from the state directing additional increases to Tier 1 districts (those with 55%+ unduplicated pupils), while Newark Unified remained in Tier 2 with a 52.80% unduplicated pupil percentage, Tracy (district finance staff) explained. That re‑slicing of the program funds, staff said, was the primary cause of the shortfall.
Staff outlined enrollment and cost details: 227 UP students have registered for the district’s Think Together before/after‑school program; 277 non‑UP students are interested or waitlisted, for a total of 504 signed or waitlisted families. Allard said the district currently has roughly $565,234 remaining in the ELOP grant but estimated the cost to serve the 227 registered UP students at about $595,875 — a shortfall of roughly $30,000–$40,000 already, before adding additional enrollments.
“All of a sudden we received a new allocation that was $1 million less than last,” Allard said, summarizing the district’s surprise when allocations published on July 21 differed from spring budget expectations.
Board members discussed options for avoiding a deep drain on the general fund while preserving service to UP students, whom the district must accept under the grant. Member Thomas said it would be unfair to bill families with little notice but acknowledged the district’s fiscal limits; Member Hill emphasized that any fee approach should be self‑sustaining for non‑UP enrollments.
Staff said negotiations with Think Together began immediately to adjust contract terms and pricing. Allard also noted short‑ and longer‑term mitigation ideas, including temporary use of existing childcare fund balances for startup costs, targeted communications to families (staff aimed to notify families by Friday), and exploring community partnerships (parks, libraries, county/state child‑care programs) for 2026–27.
After discussion, Member Thomas moved and Member Hill seconded a motion directing staff to develop a self‑funded, fee‑based program for non‑UP families; the motion passed 4–0. Staff said they would return with a concrete plan and pricing that aims to be affordable compared with private child‑care alternatives and stated fee applications could begin quickly depending on negotiations with the vendor.
Next steps: staff will continue negotiating with Think Together, develop fee schedules and a family communication plan, and report back to the board with a formal proposal. The district will continue to serve UP students under the ELOP grant while working to limit impacts on the general fund.
