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San Gabriel staff propose $30/week after‑school fee, income‑based scholarships and higher sports fees
Summary
City staff told the Community Services Commission they will ask City Council to approve a new fee structure for after‑school care ($30/week with a 10% multi‑child discount) and sports ($75 per session for most sports, $50 for track), paired with income‑based scholarship tiers; the proposal responds to lost CDBG funding and rising costs and will be before council as part of the budget process.
City of San Gabriel staff outlined a proposal to introduce modest fees for the city’s after‑school program and to charge for middle‑school sports as part of the FY2026–27 budget process.
Assistant Director Matthew Morales Stevens told the Community Services Commission that the after‑school program operates at four elementary sites (Koolage, Washington, McKinley and Wilson) and has historically been provided free of charge. "The afterschool program is offered through the community services department at four elementary school sites," he said, summarizing current operations and the staffing model.
Staff said they withdrew about $55,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds last year after new documentation requirements — including proof of immigration status and verified income — made those funds unusable for the programs. With rising staffing and supply costs, staff proposed a $30 per week fee for after‑school care (billed monthly and prorated for holidays) with a 10% multi‑child discount. Middle‑school sports fees were proposed at $75 per session for basketball, volleyball and flag football and $50 per session for track and field.
To preserve access, staff proposed a scholarship program modeled on the existing "Share a Dream" system and tied to Los Angeles County income limits: a 50% fee reduction for extremely low and low‑income households and a 25% reduction for moderate‑income households. "Anyone that's extremely low to low income would qualify for a 50% reduction in fees," Morales Stevens said during the presentation.
Commissioners asked how the city would verify and retain income documents and raised privacy concerns. One commissioner warned that collecting tax forms and pay stubs raises PII (personally identifiable information) handling obligations; staff replied the department would follow city retention policies, limit use to program eligibility, and ask for current income documentation "ideally" but would take participants' submission at face value when necessary.
Staff also said San Gabriel Unified School District is moving to a different model for after‑school services and that the district’s changes could increase demand for the city program; staff noted any expansion of city capacity would require additional staffing and likely a council appropriation. Morales Stevens said the fee proposal "is going to council tomorrow during the council meeting as part of the budget process," and, if approved by council, the fees would apply to the 2026–27 school year.
What happens next: the commission received the presentation and asked clarifying questions; there was no final action recorded on the proposal at this meeting. Staff will present the fee schedule and scholarship details to City Council as part of the budget process and return to the commission with implementation specifics if council approves the change.
