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Saugus Union Tables Talk On Child Care, Preschools For Now

Saugus Union School District officials tabled a discussion this week on before-school, after-school and preschool programs in order to get more information from staff.


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There were no decisions made on the agenda item, which was set to look at a staff recommendation.

Related article: Saugus School District Child Care Could Face Tuition Hike, New Fee

Based on the discussion Wednesday, the item is expected to be back before the board at the next meeting, Feb. 18, although the agenda for that meeting has not been set yet.Saugus Union School District

“Our No. 1 priority is the students and families we serve,” said Michelle Morse, director of child development for the Saugus Union School District. “In any discussion we’re having and whenever we’re looking at the budget and setting things up, we want to be prudent with the expenses and we want to have a program that is of high quality, and safety is the highest priority.”

The programs are primarily tuition-based, although there is support from county grant programs, such as Los Angeles Universal Preschool, and state grants, Morse said. The program receives no funding from the district’s general fund.

Saugus Union governing board members requested information on measures last month that could be taken to make the programs in question fiscally solvent.

The program currently costs parents using the program $312 each month for after-school care. The preschool, which is 3.5 hours per day, five days per week, costs $477 per month.

Due to the board’s request, staff came up with a possible tuition raise and a materials fee, although no decision was made on either.

Staff was also directed to look at comparable services and costs outside of the district.

The discussion started after a special meeting was called last Thursday to address board members’ concerns about the program’s fiscal issues.

The figure recommended by staff for the tuition increase was an 8-percent increase, Morse said.

There are 1,122 students in the district’s before- and after-school programs, and 529 students in preschool programs, according to information provided by Christine Hamlin, the district’s assistant superintendent in charge of instruction.

The programs, which were created in 1992, are available districtwide at the respective school sites, said Joan Lucid, SUSD superintendent.

Related article: Saugus Union Officials To Talk Child Care, Development Programs

The Saugus Union School District includes more than 10,000 kindergarten through sixth-grade students on the west side of the Santa Clarita Valley.


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Saugus Union Tables Talk On Child Care, Preschools For Now

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.