BRENHAM ISD DEVELOPING AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM WITH BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB
Brenham ISD is moving forward with plans for an after-school program hosted in partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County.
On Monday, the Brenham School Board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Boys and Girls Club to provide the program, which will be hosted on-site at each elementary school. Superintendent Dr. Tylor Chaplin said this will allow elementary students to stay at school to receive after-school care, while also allowing the club to focus more on middle school, junior high and high school students at its facility on East Tom Green Street.
Dr. Chaplin stated the school district is allowed to partner with outside entities to provide after-school instruction using ESSER III funding. He said once those federal funds go away, the district will work with the club’s board to determine how to keep the program running. He added that a focal point of his and of Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Stephanie Wehring is to provide curriculum and character building while “ensuring that young people still get the opportunity to be kids after school.”
When asked how the program would be staffed, Dr. Chaplin said the club will offer employment to district staff. He explained that district employees who are interested will be able to transition from Brenham ISD duties to club responsibilities, meaning those employees would be employed and paid by the club—not by Brenham ISD—while they are working in the after-school program. He said this could provide additional income for district employees.
Dr. Chaplin said the district was not satisfied with the services provided by Zenith, the for-profit entity that previously provided after-school care. He said the district did not feel its students were “getting the proper care they needed.” He noted that as the entity charged parents directly for care, the district only provided space for the program and did not allocate funds toward it.
With the board’s action on Monday, the club can now begin advertising the program. Dr. Chaplin said Wehring is expecting around 50 students per campus in the program, but it ultimately depends on the availability of staff.