TUSD to charge higher tuition at its two early learning centers

The Tucson Unified School District will increase the tuition rate at its two infant and early learning centers starting this summer, after governing board approval this week.

Brichta and Schumaker infant and early learning centers, which serve children 6 weeks to 5 years of age, will see a 10% increase in July of this year and an additional 5% increase in July 2023.

The move also raises the registration fees at the two centers from $50 to $75.

It’s the first time the district has raised the tuition rate at the two schools in the past two years, said Reem Kievit, the district’s director of community schools and preschool programs.

“With the pandemic, we did not want to add any burdens to families already under a lot of stress,” Kievit told the board. “However, moving forward, we do need to increase tuition as grant funding disappears, and minimum wage and compression goes into effect, so that we can keep our doors open.”

According to information on the TUSD website, monthly rates at the two sites currently range from just under $1,000 for infants to $700 for pre-kindergarten. The sites also offer biweekly and weekly rates, as well as discounts for district employees.

TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said the two centers are self-funded, meaning they rely largely on tuition and do not benefit from the district’s maintenance and operation budget.

Enrollment at the two sites dipped when the pandemic first hit, and administrators were able to cover the financial deficits through federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund dollars and other grant funding, Kievit said.

She added that, even with the tuition rate increase, the costs still remain lower or at the same rate as their competitors.

The measure passed on a 4-1 vote, with board member Sadie Shaw voting against the tuition rate increase. Instead, Shaw asked if it was possible for the district to allocate money to the two centers to prevent parents from having to pay higher rates.

“If we can locate … an alternative source of funds, we certainly will be back to try to get these rates back to their original levels,” Trujillo said.

TUSD did not respond to the Star’s inquiries about what financial aid is available for families at Brichta and Schumaker in time for this article.

Summer program

At the same meeting, a few people spoke during the call to the audience about another concern regarding the Brichta and Schumaker infant and early learning centers: changes to this year’s summer programs.

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Jennifer Rolle, a TUSD educator and Brichta parent, said the center sent out a letter earlier this month to notify parents that children turning 5 years old prior to Sept. 1 would not be allowed to stay in Brichta’s summer program and their last day would be May 27.

“Our children are only 5 years old and they will be thrown into a brand new school with less than two months to prepare,” Rolle said of the kids’ transitions to kindergarten at an elementary school.

Victoria Bodanyi and Raul Gonzalez, also TUSD educators and parents of two children at Brichta, also asked that TUSD allow the kids to stay at the center throughout the summer.

“This has presented a hardship for parents and families now scrambling to find daycare alternatives for their 4- to 5-year-olds with only a month’s notice,” they wrote in their submission for call to the audience.

Kievit explained that each year, some staff members take charge of running the summer programs at Brichta and Schumaker, while other staff focus on transitioning 3-year-olds into the preschool classrooms.

But as enrollment numbers slowly continue to pick up, she said the two sites don’t have the staffing levels to meet the community’s needs.

As a result, she said, current staff would have to take on both responsibilities of transitioning the younger kids while running the summer program for the older ones. She added that she had hoped to give staff members a lighter workload over the summer, as they’re already feeling burnt out.

Kievit said administrators offered to help parents find alternative care, as well as priority placement at one of five school-age summer programs, to make the transition a bit smoother.

But noting changes to the centers’ calendars that would grant staff a few more paid holidays throughout the year, board member Leila Counts asked that administrators make an exception for this year to make the transition easier for kids entering elementary school.

“I think that I would probably support that more in upcoming years, but I think with the way that the pandemic has really affected all of our families, that true continuity of care until they graduate is priority,” Counts said.

Kievit said the district would be able to manage the summer program with 5-year-olds with the current staff.

But no official action was taken on whether Brichta and Schumaker would allow 5-year-olds to stay through the summer, as Trujillo said that was an administrative decision.

TUSD did not confirm whether the two centers would delay the 5-year-olds’ graduation from Brichta and Schumaker this summer.

Brichta is at 2110 W. Brichta Drive and Schumaker is at 501 N. Maguire Ave.