School program fee set for an increase

GLENDALE — In anticipation of a state audit next year, the department that oversees before- and after-school programs in the Glendale Unified School District is proposing a 12% program fee increase to comply with a state law.

The state reimburses the cost of certain before- and after-school programs for students who qualify for state assistance. Students who do not qualify for state assistance are required to pay a fee equal to or higher than the state reimbursement rate.

But for three years, the Early Education and Extended Learning Department — which administers the before- and after-school school-age program and the preschool and recreational after-school program — has charged less than the state subsidy amount, department Director Anita Tetrault said.

"We could actually run it for less than the government subsidy," Supt. Michael Escalante said.

The proposed fee increase would take effect next school year and would increase the weekly fee for students who attend for up to four hours from $85 to $95. For students who attend up to six-and-a-half hours, the fee would jump from $115 to $130.

The increase would bring the district's fee schedule in line with the state reimbursement rate, which was hiked 9.49% in January.

The Board of Education is slated to consider the fee hike at its meeting tonight.

If the board does not approve the fee increase, the district would risk reduced state funding for its before- and after-school programs, Escalante said.

"The glitch is that the government subsidy program says, 'if you can run the program cheaper, then we're not going to give you as much money,' so we're forced to go back in and [raise rates] for the for-fee program," Escalante said.

The Early Education and Extended Learning Department is supported by student fees and gets no financial assistance from the district.

In the past three years, the department has generated a small profit and drawn from its savings to keep fees relatively low, said Eva Rae Lueck, chief business and financial officer for the district.

But a California Department of Education Categorical Program Monitoring audit scheduled for next school year "necessitated immediate compliance with the [state reimbursement rate]," according to staff reports.

While the impending audit may have fast-tracked the department's proposal, the timing of the decision coincides with a bevy of increased district-wide operational costs that have made it more expensive to run before- and after-school programs, Tetrault said.

Recently increased employee salaries, health care and benefits costs and custodial fees could put the department in the red by the end of the year if they're not buffered by a fee increase, she said.

"Without a fee increase, we'll probably go into deficit mode because just with salaries increasing, that can cost us a lot of money," Tetrault said. "Right now, through July 1, I'm hoping that we're going to break even."