Dist. 4 Digs Deep to Help Its After-School Program

By Henry Stuttley Daily Herald Staff Writer

Addison school officials are reaching in their tight budget to help revive an after-school program that was a model for middle schools in the area.

School officials approved about $11,500 this month for the Student Participation Center, an after-school and tutoring program in Addison.

The center has struggled financially for two years.

This school year, the Student Participation Center postponed its after-school program, but its homework help program is still being offered to students, Superintendent A. Donald Hendricks said.

Of the funds the district approved, about $5,500 will come from district funds, with an additional $6,000 from a federal grant.

Each year, the Student Participation Center spends $1,500 for supplies and $11,000 for teachers who tutor students, said Christine Pfaff, chairwoman of the Student Participation Center board.

Pfaff said the money that was approved would go toward the salary of a part-time coordinator position that was vacated this school year.

“It is becoming increasingly more difficult for us to get the funds to cover salaries,” Pfaff said.

And school officials say the money they approved is the only time they’ll give to the program to restart its after-school activities again.

“The hope is that they will get additional funding through other sources,” said Assistant Superintendent John Langton.

In the past five years, the center has relied on grants and donations through a grant writer, but now those funds have not been available the last two years, Langton said.

He said the funds have simply “dried up” and the money is going elsewhere.

“It’s becoming a serious problem,” Langton said. “A lot of funds have been shifted elsewhere.”

In addition, the board is looking for new leadership.

Hendricks said program director Laura Bedore has retired from her full-time position this year but is still helping out, and the part- time coordinator recently quit to take another job.

Before it was postponed, between 40 and 60 students participated in the after-school program at Indian Trail Junior High School.

Pfaff said she hopes the after school program will reopen to students at the end of October, depending on when they find a new coordinator.

“The sooner the better,” Pfaff said.

Board member Rod Bublitz said he would like for the school board to find as much funding as possible to keep the after-school program open to students.

“It gives everybody a good sense of community,” Bublitz said.

Langton said the Student Participation Center was founded in 1997, making it one of the first after-school programs for middle- school age students in the area.