Some Springfield School District 186 parents and teachers are in an uproar over the school board’s now-tabled proposal to cut the long-standing Project SCOPE program that provides before and after-school care, potentially affecting over 850 students across the district.
On Friday, March 21, the District 186 school board added an item to the March 24 board agenda calling for a vote to cut the SCOPE program in the name of budget cuts. Word spread on social media over the weekend, and parents, teachers and concerned citizens packed the board meeting on Monday night.
Even with suggestions made to amend the SCOPE program with a contract at area YMCA locations or price increases, parents and other attendees voiced their discontent with the proposed solutions, citing unilateral changes, lack of discussion and transparency.
In response to overwhelming support from the attendees, board president Micah Miller moved at the beginning of the meeting to table the proposal, with board members Buffy Lael-Wolf, Sarah Blissett and Erica Austin joining. Anthony “Tony” Mares, Debra Iams and Ken Gilmore voted to keep it on the agenda.
The overall topic of the meeting was addressing the growing deficit of school funding and the potential loss of state and federal financial support. With a focus on attrition over the next three years, the board discussed plans to consolidate positions of individuals retiring or leaving, as well as other changes, saving an estimated $4.7 million in funding.
While these funding initiatives are aimed at “keeping changes far away from the classroom,” according to Miller, a large part of the savings plans included addressing the loss from the SCOPE program incurred every year since 2014.
Steve Miller, director of business, finance and operations for District 186, said SCOPE had $2.055 million in expenditures last year but only $1.26 million in revenue.
However, John Berry, the lead business agent for the SCOPE contract, which has been in place for nearly 25 years, alleged that SCOPE’s financial deficit is due to “the mismanagement of funding for over a decade by the district by not offsetting the program costs due to rise in employee wages, costs of materials and cost of living.”
Berry said, “District 186 has stood behind the ‘no child left behind’ mantra for many years, but now they are quick to displace 848 students, 30 staff, 40 student helpers and hundreds of parents from under the District 186 umbrella with little notice.”
As a unionized organization, many working within the SCOPE program are worried about the lack of in-house decision-making and transparency surrounding the possible dissolution in favor of a YMCA contract, he said.
“It is not the job of the district to dictate the movements of our members outside of the boundaries of our contract,” said Berry. “Teamsters would never give an unfair opportunity to bargain the terms and conditions under our collective bargaining agreement.”
Cheryl Rice, the lead for Project SCOPE at Laketown Elementary School, spoke about her dedication to the program.
“Everybody’s not there just to get a paycheck; we have some [people] that are dedicated to SCOPE and what we do for the kids,” she said.
“I go to work sometimes ankles swollen and everything, but you know why I go? Cause I love what I do,” said Rice. “We’ve been [financially] short for a long time, but I choose to go to work and be with them kids because I know we are already short to begin with. So I won’t call off, but I pray this ain’t the thanks I get for being there for them children.”
Former SCOPE participant and local activist Ken Pacha called out the importance of the program and alleged a conflict of interest in the potential change. He noted that Superintendent Jennifer Gill also holds a seat on the YMCA of Springfield’s board of trustees.
“It seems odd that the YMCA would be the one that would be chosen; it’s almost as though those negotiations have been happening previously,” Pacha said. “The fact is, as we’re talking about ending a program that affects hundreds if not thousands of people, we’re talking about putting them out on the far west end or the far north end and then possibly having parents bus them out there. How are parents going to do that? This isn’t a business. These are the children that you take care of, and whether or not they make you a profit shouldn’t be the concern.”
Anne Logue, who said she previously worked in social services, addressed the importance of having after-school programs for children, noting that having supervision during the window of 3-6 p.m. is crucial for keeping children safe and out of trouble.
“We need this program, and we don’t want to punish low-income families who are not going to be able to afford these rate hikes. They’re the ones that are going to need it the most,” said Lowe. “A lot of things that are helping families survive are not going to be available. You are going to see crime and poverty go up, and we will have only ourselves to blame.”
Superintendent Gill said District 186 “heard loud and clear tonight that (the public) would like us to explore other options (instead of cutting SCOPE).” However, she said a rate increase from $85 to $127 for families utilizing both before and after-school care would be necessary for the program to break even.
The motion was tabled following a 4-3 vote. The school board is scheduled to meet again on April 7, but Rachel Dyas, a spokesperson for District 186, said, “It will remain tabled until the board decides to bring it back up. …we will know more in the coming weeks.”
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This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 2, 2025.
