Parents tell Wauwatosa board they need certainty on wraparound care; some call costs a taxpayer issue

Several parents used the public-comment portion of the Aug. 24 meeting to press the board for clarity and commitment on wraparound care.

Paul Lorenz, a lifelong Wauwatosa resident, said district enrollment is declining and urged the board to make hard choices about school closures and spending. "You have declining enrollments and excess school capacity, then make some hard choices and close some schools and make the remaining ones more efficient," he said, adding that before- and after-school care should be a parental responsibility rather than a taxpayer obligation.

Parent Rachel Kazicky urged the board to provide a year-long guarantee of before/after and JK wraparound care and warned that month-to-month uncertainty deters families from signing up. "I do remain consistent in my ask to find a guarantee for before school, after school, and wraparound care for the whole school year and for years moving forward," she said. Kazicky and other parents asked the board to consider contract language and guarantees that would prevent families from losing care midyear.

Board members acknowledged the anxiety and said administration would move quickly to communicate the board's decision to families once a funding approach was set.