The Emporia Recreation Commission has begun very early discussions on its continued involvement with after-school programming for USD 253 Emporia students with the possibility of a long-time program coming to an end.
According to ERC Assistant Director of Operations Amanda Gutierrez, the ERC began those discussions Monday evening as there is a possibility that the popular RecXtra program, which they have partnered with USD 253 to provide for the past ten years, maybe ending with a new program taking its place. The possibility comes as the school district has submitted an application for an Art and Elementary School grant to the federal government that, if approved, would see the creation of a program titled ArtXtra that will provide fine arts-centered after-school programming through the district in partnership with the Emporia Arts Council.
The grant would provide $2 million for five years to operate the program according to ERC Treasurer and USD 253 Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Rob Scheib. Scheib says the new program may carry over some elements from the RecXtra program, however, the main focus will largely change.
Gutierrez says they are sad to see RecXtra possibly coming to an end, however, she feels a fine arts program will be a great addition to the community.
Gutierrez adds that if the program ends, the ERC’s involvement in the district will not. Word on the art grant’s status is expected anytime in the coming days. If the grant were to be denied, it is possible RecXtra could continue, however, Gutierrez says the format could be slightly different than in previous years.
In other business, commissioners also had their latest round of discussions on the 2022 budget. The estimated budget amount is just around $5 million according to Rec Director Tom McEvoy, which is an increase over the previous year due to increased participation in Rec Center programs over the past year.
Current plans are for the board to approve the budget for publication during their monthly meeting in July. Final approval is expected in August.
The Emporia Recreation Commission will reconvene for their monthly meeting on Monday, Jul. 19 at 5:30 pm inside the Lee Beran Recreation Center.
