Wauwatosa board approves funding plan to guarantee school-year wraparound care via consolidated sites and shuttle service

The Wauwatosa School District board voted Aug. 24 to approve district funding "in an amount to be determined, utilizing option 3, which is titled ‘consolidate and transport,’ to subsidize before school, after school, and junior kindergarten wraparound care for the 2026–27 school year at sites where provider-established minimum enrollment requirements have not been met on a nonprecedential basis." The motion was moved, seconded and carried by roll call.

Board members debated three staff-proposed approaches after district staff presented enrollment figures and contract language with the recommended vendor, Blue Door Academy (a Boys & Girls Club affiliate). Option 1 would allow programs to close at low-enrollment schools (reducing rent income); option 2 would fully subsidize shortfalls; option 3 would consolidate sites and provide district-arranged shuttle service. Supporters of the approved option said it strikes a balance between guaranteeing care for families and limiting the district’s budget exposure.

Board members and staff emphasized that the motion leaves the dollar amount to be determined and that the action is being taken on a nonprecedential basis for this inaugural year with the new vendor. The clerk called the roll for the final motion; the motion carried with six recorded yes votes and one excused member.

The board instructed administration to communicate promptly with families about the guarantee and to return with more detailed language and cost implications. The motion’s text, as read into the record, begins: "It is recommended that the school board approve district funding in an amount to be determined, utilizing option 3, which is titled ‘consolidate and transport’ to subsidize before school, after school, and junior kindergarten wraparound care for the 2026–27 school year at sites where provider-established minimum enrollment requirements have not been met."