Wayne school board privatizes after-care programs amid major deficit
By: Philip DeVencenits
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
WAYNE - Parents will pay more to put their children in an after-school program, while the K-12 district is saving hundreds of thousands of dollars by no longer having to subsidize it.
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The program at all nine elementary schools was outsourced to an Illinois-based company because the Board of Education faced $7.1 million budget deficit, and privatization was identified as a way to address that shortfall.
..... The district funded much of the operation to keep registration fies low for working families, and officials said they cannot afford to do that.
..... "It would mean more staffing cuts and more cuts to programs, which we don't want to do,' said Lauren Kazmark., the assistant schools superintendent.
..... Trustees passed a resolution on April 24 [2205] to award a contract for before- and after-school care services to right at School, which runs programs in at least 165 districts in 20 states.
..... The company was among five agencies that responded to a request for proposals. It will pay the district an annual rental fee of $300,000 plus a 15% share of revenue that it collect through the program, now with more than 1,000 students.
..... The district administration reviewed those proposals and recommended Right at School due to its flexible options overall venue and premise to maintain safety, among other factors.
..... Students spend their time in the current program by finishing homework, making arts and crafts, and playing table games.
..... The new program, called Right Club, will also include built-in homework time and group activities.
..... It also features an expertly designed curriculum - its trademarked disgusted Learning - to engage students in science experiment ans songwriting competitions, the Right to School website says.
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Families now pay $190 per month to have a single child in hte distict after-school program, called Wrap Up, every day of the week. an extra fee of $170 is charged for each sibling.
..... Under the privatized model, which beings in September, [2025] prices will increase to $298 per month for one student to $268 for each additional student. The costs very depending on how many days per week they participate and whether they attend the before-school program.
..... Officials said the costs are competitive with those at area school systems and are less than what the district would have asked for next year [2025-2026] if privatization had not been considered.
..... But parents with children in the program said they were more concerned about the quality of care than its effect on their pocketbooks.
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Jennifer Beesley, who enrolls a child at Theunis Dey School, cited news reports about alleged abuse by company employees.
..... "A sales pitch is one thing - their track record is different," Bessley told the school board on May 1. [2025]
..... "I don't think that our district should ask our teachers to do more with less if you're not willing to do the same," she added. "If you can't do more with less, then please don't do worse."
..... Julie Lyon the vice president of national partnerships for Right at School, said to trustee that the company would hire the same staff on the district payroll. The current program has 44 caregivers, plus breakfast assistants, door monitors and site leaders.
..... "We want them to be part of our program." Lyon said of the employees. "T Hat's really important to us."
..... Right to School will host a virtual forum for parents to learn about its program on May 19 at 6 PM. To register, visit the district website at wayneschools.com .