SAFE BASE will return to Jefferson Elementary School next school year, if funding materializes.
USD 257 board members unanimously made the switch Monday, ending a six-year run of tutoring and enrichment activities for the after-school program at Lincoln Elementary School. It also is a homecoming, SAFE BASE was at Jefferson for five years prior to the Lincoln experience.
Whether SAFE BASE will have as comprehensive a program as it has had — including if it will be part of USD 257’s offering at all — hinge on two grant applications that will be announced in June and July.
Angela Henry, its director, told the Register after the meeting that SAFE BASE was seeking a $179,000 grant from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City and another $70,000, with renewal for five years, in a 21st Century Grant from the Kansas Department of Education.
“The health care foundation has cut back because it doesn’t have the funding it has had in the past because of the recession,” Henry said, and noted partial funding of the grant might occur. Grants will be made in June.
The 21st Century Grant is all or nothing, she said. Awards will be made in July.
Also, the state money locked SAFE BASE into either Jefferson or Lincoln being the host school because it is a re-application for money the local program attracted in the past. Otherwise, McKinley Elementary, which had SAFE BASE activities only the first year when all district schools were involved, would have been considered.
SAFE BASE is supported by other, smaller contributions, including an arrangement with the city of Iola that has the two entities sharing a physical education instructor, Jake Lawrence. The city put up $17,700 for half his compensation, SAFE BASE the other half. Lawrence works with city recreation programs when not helping with SAFE BASE.
In addition to school-year activities, SAFE BASE has a four-week summer program. Money for this summer didn’t materialize until a few weeks ago.
Full success with the grants would include programming for summer 2012, as well as return of an art program during the school year that has been absent because of funding shortfalls.
THE FIRST 30 minutes of SAFE BASE school-year sessions are for tutoring with district teachers. Dr. Craig Neuenswander told board members cost to the district for salaries was $20,000.
The remaining 45 minutes of each session, following a snack, are devoted to enrichment activities such as cooking, physical education, exposure to vocations, hobbies and games.
To put less of a burden on the host school, Neuenswander said tutoring might be done in home schools before SAFE BASE participants were bused to the host school for enrichment.
“That should involve more teachers and give a better (student-to-teacher) ratio,” he said. “It would cost more but it would be money well spent.”
No action was taken on the proposal.
A disadvantage that Henry noted in Jefferson being the host school was that the Wayne Garrett Children’s Garden, developed a block from Lincoln Elementary, would be more difficult to incorporate into daily activities.
“We can walk now, but the children will have to be bused to the garden from Jefferson,” she said. “But, it is what it is and we’ll deal with it.”
The garden is a laboratory experience for the students. They learn to grow vegetables and then eat what they harvest. A meal Wednesday evening for children and their parents will feature produce from the garden.
