USD 336 board OKs new early childhood structure and fees

New early childhood structure and fees for the next school year were approved on a 5-2 vote of the Holton school board here on Monday evening.

Currently, and primarily as a service to school employees and teaching staff, the district offers full-day care to 4 p.m. on school days for 14 infants and toddlers, subsidizing $26,933 of the $119,118 costs. 

The district also currently offers three half-day rooms (six sections) of preschool and one full-day room of pre-school class for 97 students, subsidizing $161,447 of the costs. Both daycare and pre-school are offered for children of school employees, school teachers and also school patrons.

Karla Tanking, director of the early childhood program, reported that 44 students are expected to return for the program next year along with about 52 new ones.

The new fee schedule approved for next year will raise monthly fees for infant care from $716 to $775 and toddler care from $615.50 per month to $700.

The new fee schedule approved for pre-school will raise monthly fees from $40 to $75 for half-day, $517.85 to $575 for full-day, $447.50 to $500 for full-day preschool for children of employees and $270 to $300 for full-day pre-school for part time school employees. It was noted that the state currently covers pre-school for at-risk students at a monthly rate of $268.90 and will do the same next year.

The new early childhood structure approved will allow the district to reduce half-day pre-school rooms from three to two (reducing sections from six to four), offer an additional (a second) full-day pre-school room with the same staff as in place now and allow the district to serve up to 102 kids, an additional 17 kids over this year.

With the new fee schedule, it is estimated that the district will subsidize the early childhood and pre-school next year with $77,978.

At its meeting, the school board also considered another option for early childhood and pre-school next year that would have limited the number of pre-school kids served to 85, reduced staff in the program by one teacher and one para and reduced half day pre-school rooms from three to two. This option would have had the district subsidizing the program next year with $60,148.

Board members Jenny Stous and Trent Tanking voted in opposition to the motion on the new early childhood structure and fees, but said they liked part of the plan - expanding the number of preschool students that can be served.

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