By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@thecitizennews.com

Fees for students in the Fayette County After School Program are expected to increase to $6.50 per day from $5 beginning next school year, based on a recommendation submitted to the Board of Education by ASP director Julia Simpson.

With an estimated cost per child daily of $6.48, she said $6.50 will just cover the cost.

The popularity of the elementary school program has prompted Simpson to ask the Fayette County board to limit the number of students in each school to 120, and accommodate enrollment requests of three- to five-day attendees before other students. “We want to insure a safer and enriching environment for our students,” Simpson told the board.

Occasional after-school participants will be accepted for one or two days only if they are participating in ongoing school functions such as chorus.

Simpson justified her request by explaining, “The need for after-school care is rising faster than we can fill positions. Limiting the number of students will help us provide a safe staff-to-student ratio for those attending. There are currently 1,157 students enrolled in our programs for three to five days per week. Giving preference to these three- to five-day attendees will help stabilize our staffing needs.”

The rate for children of Fayette County Board of Education employees also will increase from $3.50 to $4.50 per day. Simpson said the increasing number of employee children in ASP generates the need for additional employees.

“The projected revenue loss for 1999-2000 with 167 Board of Education employees attending is $75,000. While we were able to absorb the loss this year due to the shortage in ASP staff, the money is needed to insure adequate staff in the future,” Simpson said.

ASP is a self-supporting program that provides care for Fayette County students at their schools from dismissal time until 6 p.m. In addition to providing a full range of monitored activities, play time, snack and homework time, ASP offers music classes, dance and karate in some locations.

Simpson is recommending that the classes be offered only to three- to five-day ASP attendees. “Advertising them county-wide causes dramatic fluctuations in student attendance creating staffing problems,” Simpson explained.

Other proposals include a 25 cents per hour raise for ASP group leaders and aides who have at least one full school year of experience in the program. These part-time employees have not had a raise since 1996, according to Simpson. An additional aide for each site with an average daily attendance of more than 100 students also was suggested.