As the new school year approaches, USD 253 Emporia is continuing its work to secure after-school programming following a notice of termination from its current provider.
As KVOE News reported last month, the district was surprised by the sudden 60-day notice from the Boys and Girls Club of South Central Kansas, which was accepted by the USD 253 Board of Education, with the club looking to end its 10 year memorandum of understanding with the district just three years into the agreement. During a recent interview with new USD 253 Superintendent Dr. David McGehee, he stated that the district will offer some form of after-school programming this coming school year.
Following the termination announcement last month, several school board members expressed a desire to hold the Boys and Girls Club to its commitment to the district, stating they were still in conversation with BGC leadership to work out an agreement of some kind. McGehee says that remains the district’s preference at this time.
While that is the preference, McGehee says “it wouldn’t be smart for us to put all of our eggs in one basket,” noting the district is exploring several avenues for programming; however, he did not elaborate on those plans. That said, one possible avenue that has been considered is for after-school programming operations to return to the Emporia Recreation Commission, which oversaw the district’s RecXtra program for 12 years until 2022.
The ERC did discuss the possibility during its monthly meeting in June; however, no other conversations, at least none publicly, have been had on the matter since.
During our recent interview with Dr. McGehee, KVOE News inquired if the district is planning any legal action or litigation against the Boys and Girls Club if they do not fulfill the 10-year obligation of the MOU. He told KVOE News, “He would rather not comment on anything legal that might or might not occur at this time,” stating again that the district is currently focused on trying to reach an agreement with the organization.
