Brandon Twp.- The school district will no longer offer a childcare program.
Pam Schoemer, director of special education for the district, said the program for children 6-months-old to school-age will end June 29.
‘It’s sad in the sense that it’s a wonderful service offered to our families,? said Schoemer of the elimination of the program. ‘It doesn’t feel right, but we have to have a balanced budget.?
The program currently serves about 45 children, including some of the children of school district staffmembers. However, the program has not been self-funded in many years. The district currently subsidizes the cost, spending about $25,000 per year out of the general fund. The program employed six full-time lead teachers this year.
With the district facing a $1.3 million deficit, Superintendent Lorrie McMahon said this was a cut that needed to be made as the board seeks to balance the budget.
Other programs such as Head Start and the Great Start Readiness Program, which are grant-funded and self-supporting, will continue.
For more information, call 248-627-1855.