Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the After School Programming topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City and CPS discuss after‑school "Recognite" pilot at Hughes High amid budget questions
Summary
School and city officials discussed a pilot to adapt the Rec at Night model to after‑school hours at Hughes High, weighing three-tier program options, a possible $500,000 top‑line cost, Schedule E staffing possibilities and mobile alternatives to reach multiple neighborhoods.
Assistant Superintendent Amy Randolph and Recreation Director Betts outlined a proposal to pilot an after‑school program at Hughes High School that would adapt the city's Recognite/Rec at Night approach to the school year.
Betts described three scaled packages (gold, silver, bronze) and said the most expansive 4‑day‑a‑week option could cost "a little over $500,000" at the maximum staffing and service level. "At the max, the 4 day a week, we were somewhere around a little over $500,000," Betts said, noting that food, paid contractors and a mix of vendors and volunteers drive cost.
Board members and district leaders discussed funding approaches. Dr. Kareem Moffett described Schedule E as a possible source of supplement funding for existing staff who already provide extracurriculars: "For the benefit of the public, Schedule E money is like a pot of money where extracurricular activities come from to pay our staff supplementally," he said. Several trustees and council members urged exploring Schedule E and existing staff capacity rather than creating an expensive, fully outsourced model.
Speakers raised operational questions that would shape the pilot: whether the pilot should target students from the host school only or accept students citywide; whether transit schedules would allow students to get home after programming; and how to structure offerings so they attract students who currently do not participate in after‑school activities. Betts and CPS said they have conducted teen focus groups for Rec at Night and planned site-specific surveys to ask students who are not participating what would entice them to stay after school.
Alternative models drew support: board and council members suggested mobile recreation (bringing activities to several neighborhoods) and using rec-centers and community partners to avoid relying entirely on school space. Betts said mobile recreation has been used in other cities as an efficient way to reach multiple hotspots.
Budget and scale remain undecided. City manager Cheryl Long said the city is working to close a large budget gap and that resources are limited this year, but council members pointed to a recent omnibus budget priority that included Recognite with CPS and asked staff to continue exploring partnerships and fundraising options.
Next steps: CPS and city staff agreed to map existing site programs, survey students, model Schedule E and partnership funding scenarios, and return with a more concrete pilot proposal and cost breakdown for follow-up discussions.
