New USD 253 Superintendent Dr. David McGehee had promised there would be after-school programming available for the coming school year following the notice of termination from the Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Kansas last month. While the exact layout of said programming is still being developed, we now know who will be providing it.
As part of their regular meeting Wednesday evening, USD 253 Board of Education members approved a separation agreement with the Boys and Girls Club, which included a $375,000 commitment from BGC to the district for the next three years. That commitment will be paid in three $125,000 installments, with the first coming “As soon as possible,” according to McGehee and the remaining balance to be paid at the start of the next two fiscal year cycles on July 1 of 2026 and July 1 of 2027.
As you may recall, the Boys and Girls Club gave sudden notice of its intention to terminate its MOU with the district seven years early back in June. This came as a shock to district leadership, who expressed their displeasure at that time; however, following Wednesday’s meeting, McGehee stated he was pleased they were able to come to an agreement that benefited all parties involved.
KVOE News also asked if the district was at all concerned that the club may terminate this agreement early, as it had with the MOU. McGhee stated he is not.
The dollars being contributed to the district from the club will be put towards funding after-school programming through the Emporia Recreation Commission, which will be resuming control over after-school activities for the first time in three years after it ended its more than decade-long RecXtra program back in 2022. KVOE News reached out to Rec Director Amanda Gutierrez to ask if there was any solid plan for what the programming will look like in the coming year.
She says there is nothing set in stone just yet as the discussions developed “rapidly.” However, she expects the programming will resemble RecXtra very closely. Emporia Recreation Commission Board Chair and USD 253 Board member Jeremy Dorsey says the decision to go with the rec center for after-school programming is a welcome one, as they will not have to completely “reinvent the wheel” in the short time frame between now and the start of the academic year.
According to McGehee, the dollar amount being contributed by the Boys and Girls Club was determined based on an analysis conducted by USD 253. Based on that analysis, the district is very confident the $375,000 commitment will be enough to supplement the programming for the next 2-3 years. KVOE News then asked what the district’s plan is for supplementing the program beyond that time frame.
McGehee says that is not certain at this time, however, thanks to the club’s contribution, the district has plenty of time to look into various options.
Gutierrez will join KVOE’s Prime Time Newsmaker at 7:20 am Tuesday to update the rec center’s progress on planning for the coming school year, which begins August 20.
In other business, board members held second readings on several policies, including emergency operations plan updates, staff handbooks, the athletic and activities handbook and strategic plan measures, as well as first readings on student handbook changes and board policy updates through the Kansas Association of School Boards.
The USD 253 Board of Education will reconvene on Wednesday, August 13, at 6 pm inside Mary Herbert Education Center.
