For Jocelyn Howard, a single mother of two young children,Evanston/Skokie School District 65’s childcare is the onlyafterschool program she can afford.
But the program may not be an option for much longer.
Howard was one of more than 100 teachers, parents and youngchildren who packed the school district’s board meeting Thursdaynight, as board members proposed a plan to replace the before- andafterschool childcare program.
Under the proposal, the YMCA would take over the D65 childcareprogram, which serves 830 children. The proposal is the latest in aseries of suggestions — including possible cuts to band andforeign language programs — aimed to compensate for the district’salmost $2 million deficit.
Members of the standing-room-only audience expressed frustrationwith the surprise proposal.
“We don’t know what this entails,” said Natalie Copper,president of the Evanston Association of Child Care Professionals.”All we know is that it costs more. If you are going to be revisinga program, you don’t just dump it on us.”
Copper, a D65 childcare teacher, said she did not find out aboutthe possible end of her program until Thursday afternoon. Coppersaid many parents would not be able to afford childcare at theYMCA.
But Bill Geiger, executive director of the McGaw YMCA, assuredparents his organization will offer more curriculum andresources.
“I think together, we can do what’s best for the kids,” Geigertold meeting attendees.
D65 Superintendent Hardy Ray Murphy said he has been meetingwith YMCA directors about the proposal, which still awaits theboard’s approval at its May 10 meeting.
Murphy said if the proposal is approved, he is not sure ifemployees in the district’s childcare program would be transferredto the YMCA.
Although the D65 childcare program charges for its services, itruns a $150,000 deficit each year, said Board President Mary RitaLuecke.
The board also passed a motion Thursday to nix a proposal thatwould have cut foreign language programs in middle schools. Butband and drama for fourth- and fifth-graders could still becut.
Board members also debated whether to make long- or short-termcuts. Long-term cuts would mean deeper cuts this year to avoid cutsnext year. Luecke said the district could take the extra year toevaluate the cost-effectiveness of other programs.
But board member Julie Chernoff said the board should make adecision soon.
“If we are going to cut something, we damn well better make sureof what we’re doing because it’s already April,” Chernoff said.
Although a number of possible cuts are on the table, mostparents and teachers at the meeting were worried about thechildcare issue.
Linda Jencevice, whose autistic son attends D65 childcare, saidshe fears having to quit her job to take care of him. She wasafraid the YMCA would not provide the necessary attention for herson.
“My kid is autistic,” she said. “If you do anything that setshim off, it makes him regress.”
Debra Smith, who works in the D65 childcare program, said sherefuses to work for the YMCA. Smith said the YMCA program has hadhigh turnover rates for the past two years.
“If they take over, I might as well be on Section 8 (housingprogram),” Smith said.
Smith, who worked for the YMCA from 1992 to 1993, said theteachers were irresponsible and even lost students at times. Shesaid she believes that the strong student-teacher relationships inD65 makes the program better than the one at the YMCA.
The future of the childcare teachers, however, is just one ofmany unanswered questions.
“We still need to work out a lot of issues and details,” Murphysaid. “We’ll have plenty of room for discussion.”
