Committee recommends one-year afterschool agreement for up to $2.5 million with $130,000 city match

The Community Services, Public Safety, Housing and Economic Development Committee on May 26 recommended that the City Council approve and the mayor execute a one-year agreement (A8624) with the school district for the Afterschool Education and Safety program, in an amount not to exceed $2,500,000 and with a city match of $130,000.

Terrell Harrison, the Cultural and Community Services director, described the partnership history and program reach. "The relationship has been around for about 24 years," Harrison said, noting the city's recreation division runs programs that employ local young people and that the afterschool work offers college-timing flexibility for student employees. He told the committee the program operates at 20 district schools and 10 schools in Port Hueneme, for a total of about 30 schools.

Why it matters: the ASES program provides supervised afterschool activities that city staff and school-district partners operate together; the funding and the city's match enable continuation of programming and staffing for the coming year.

Committee members asked whether reductions in funding were driven by district budget decisions. Harrison said partner organizations shared in a reduction and that the district's decision accounted for lowered amounts. Members also asked about program history and the specific schools served; Harrison provided the 24-year timeline and the 30-school coverage.

A committee member moved the recommended action and a second carried the motion. The clerk recorded a 3–0 vote in favor of the recommendation; the motion carried 3–0. The committee's action is a recommendation to the City Council to approve the agreement and authorize the mayor to execute it.

Next steps: staff will forward the recommendation to the full City Council for approval and execution of agreement A8624.