Since the Boys and Girls Club of South Central Kansas announced its plans to end its 10-year affiliation with USD 253 Emporia for after-school activities and programs seven years early back in June, behind-the-scenes work has been hot and heavy to maintain after-school programs when classes begin in less than a month.
Even with an agreement now in place between the district and Emporia Recreation Commission, there is still some work left to do before everything is ready to go. With that in mind, though, Rec Commission Director Amanda Gutierrez says registration will be up and running Monday through the Rec Commission’s website, emporiarec.org, and in person at the Lee Beran Recreation Center. One of the big decisions to come: exactly how much the program will cost parents. As part of a separation agreement announced at the district board meeting last week, USD 253 announced Boys and Girls Club will provide $375,000 over three years to the new program.
Gutierrez had a wide-ranging update on KVOE’s Newsmaker segment Tuesday. She says the new program, which hasn’t officially been rebranded yet, will resemble the program that served children and their families for over a decade before the district affiliated with Boys and Girls Club in 2022.
Gutierrez says the district’s partnership with Boys and Girls Club made sense when it was discussed and later finalized. It just didn’t pan out.
Gutierrez also says there are several items to handle before the new program goes online, including staffing. She expects upward of 40 part-time hires to make sure there are enough employees to handle the load. Regardless, she says the Rec Commission is glad to be involved again.
Updates will post to emporiarec.org and the Emporia Rec Center Facebook page.
