As USD 253 Emporia’s cost containment team continues its work to narrow down areas where cost savings can be captured, district staff and their families made a request of USD 253 Board members Wednesday night.
During the public comment portion of the board’s meeting, 3rd-grade teacher Amy Fehr spoke on behalf of district staff with children in the district’s childcare program. During her comments, she asked the board to ensure that when the containment team delivers its recommendations, they support maintaining the childcare program.
When asked if there had been rumblings or rumors of potential cuts to the program, Fehr stated it had been brought up during separate interest-based bargaining discussions.
According to numbers shared Wednesday, there are 33 families, 36 children and eight infants currently served through the program, which was at one time funded by Esser funds, which have since run out. Fehr says that should the program be cut or altered, it could have significant impacts on these families and children, namely not having any alternative options.
Superintendent Dr. David McGehee, during his regular report, commended staff for speaking up and sharing their thoughts on the matter. He later stated to KVOE News that it is important to know that any decisions made within the cost containment process do not have to be an all-or-nothing scenario.
As part of her comments, Fehr stated that staff and families are prepared to step up and assist in supporting costs for the program in a variety of ways if needed.
Noting the program can cost upwards of $350,000 per year to operate, McGehee stated he does not feel simply paying larger fees would be a sufficient option, estimating it could cost the currently participating families around $11,000 more each year. That said, he again commended those families for making their feelings known and stated that this is a sign that there needs to be more proactive discussion and patron involvement in the process.
Speaking of the containment process, McGehee says the team is continuing to work diligently and he anticipates there could be data and recommendations ready for board review by mid to late February, if not March; however, he says he would not want to see the process drag out any further.
McGehee concluded his interview with KVOE News Wednesday, saying the district will need to find a cost savings of $4 million or more by the coming school year due to $2 million more in expenses this year than the prior and a dip in enrollment that was pointed out in late August.
In separate business Wednesday, board members received a presentation on the Naviance program, which was adopted earlier this year to replace previous resources. The reason for the change was due to alterations in graduation requirements for the class of 2028, namely changes in credit requirements.
Among other benefits, the program centralizes all college, career and life readiness tools for student success in a single place, supporting career assessments, goal setting, course planning and postsecondary exploration.
This was the final meeting of the year for the USD 253 Board of Education, which will convene its first meeting of 2026 on Wednesday, January 14th at 6 pm inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
