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Somerset School District debates district-run daycare plan amid cost and competition concerns
Summary
Public commenters and board members questioned a superintendent proposal to open a district-run daycare, pressing for clearer startup-cost estimates, community survey reliability and the impact on local private providers before an October levy decision.
A public commenter urged the Somerset School District board to reject using taxpayer funds to operate a district-run daycare, arguing at Monday's meeting that the proposal would unfairly compete with private, taxpaying providers and that enrollment trends do not justify the new service.
"Government should not compete against taxpaying businesses," said Lou Jine, who gave her name and address during the public-comment period and questioned an estimated $129,000 annual deficit cited in the presentation.
The superintendent (referred to in discussion as Shannon) and staff presented slides comparing nearby districts' use of Fund 80 for child-care and community-education programs, summarized county-average rates (data pulled June 27) and outlined a model that, in the presentation's 'Cadillac' configuration, assumed 10…
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