Dist. 158 mulls fee for program

Parents with children younger than 3 would have to pay $25 to enroll in Huntley Unit District 158's Parent-Tot program under a proposal presented to the school board Thursday.

The fee would help offset the cost of the program, which has been completely funded by a state grant.

"It will give more formality and buy-in to the program," Superintendent John Burkey said. "We think the program's worth far more than $25. It will have a tangible effect on the program."

The district will not apply for the grant next year because district officials fear the state's shift in emphasis to programs that target at-risk families, as opposed to initiatives like the Parent-Tot program that serve everyone, would force the district to change or scrap its program. It is not clear whether this is actually the case.

Although state education officials plan to increase funding for at-risk children, they also plan to maintain the current level of spending on "big tent" programs like Parent-Tot, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

However, because school districts can no longer expand their universal birth-to-three initiatives, many are shifting their focus to at-risk children.

The good news for the 301 families who use Parent-Tot is that the school board and the administration - including Burkey, who has a child in the program - strongly support the program and will seek another way to cover its relatively modest cost.

The $25 fee would generate an estimated $7,500 in revenue - almost a third of the cost of the Parent-Tot initiative in the 2009-10 school year.

District officials hope to cover the remainder with almost $17,000 in special education funding they expect to get.