HUTCHINSON, Kan. – USD 308 Superintendent Dr. Shelly Kiblinger gave a Hutchinson High School day care report to the school board Monday and a proposal for it to be expanded in 2017-18. Final approval by the board for any expansion is expected on Feb. 13.
Because of state budget shortfalls and previous subsidies to the day care, the district has been looking for ways for the child care facility to operate without grant or district funding.
In order for the program to be self-supporting, the day care is proposed to expand into another room. Total capacity for the program in 2017-18 will be 40 compared to 28 this year. The district would spend $19,690 to renovate the nearby former HHS art room on the west side of the Educational Services Center into a day care classroom children between the ages of 3 and school age. Currently, the program only serves children from newborns to age 3.
When it was opened for the 1999-2000 school year, the original 2,523-square-foot facility was designed to accommodate 28 infants and toddlers. At the time, many of the parents using the facility were students at HHS. Since that time, fewer teen parents are needing the day care while more district employees and community members are using it.
By increasing capacity, the district would not have to subsidize the facility, going from a projected $51,787 operating loss for 2017-18 to a potential $9,459 in the black.
Also during Monday’s study session, the board participated in a training on special education law via teleconference with Kansas Association of School Board’s lawyer Sarah Loquist.