The School Committee voted to reduce fees for the Extended Day program for the 2017-2018 school year at its meeting on April 25. There will be a ten percent reduction in fees for all participants as well as increased multiple sibling discounts for families with more than one child in the program. The reason for these reductions is a result of an audit last year which revealed higher than expected balances in the revolving accounts for the program. The high balances were a result of higher than expected growth in program enrollment. The program has grown from 400 to over 600 children in the past few years. The funds in this account can only be used for expenses the program incurs. Program enrollment has now stabilized and administration feels that this is the time to make the change as they are already beginning enrollment for the next school year. The fee reduction should help reduce the balance in the account, bringing it into compliance with state law. “This is good news.” School Committee Chair Jeanne Barowski stated. “We are making a highly needed program more affordable for families.”
After this, the committee heard a short presentation regarding the process for evaluation of the superintendent. It also approved a capital plan for the North Shore Education Consortium, which is a special education consortium in which the Reading Public Schools participates. Finally, the committee voted June 20 as the last day of school. The video of the meeting can be found on RCTV’s YouTube page.
