The possibility of the district running its own before and after school care at the elementary level was explored when the schools recently renewed its lease agreement with Champions.
Champions is a private company offering before and after school extended day programs to students at the Henri A Yelle, J.C. Solmonese and L.G. Nourse elementary schools. Champions lease space at the schools to run its programs.
"Parents pay tuition directly to them and they pay us rent," said Barry Nectow, director of finance and operations.
The school has used Champions as a vendor for the last nine years.
When Nectow told the school committee Monday, Sept. 17 that a new lease agreement was reached for this school year, committee member Marge Werner asked if it would be beneficial for the schools to run its own before and after school programs instead of using a private company.
Nectow said he would explore the possibility and acknowledged it was a vital service for Norton families.
"They have many long-term employees and several families that have sent multiple children to the program," Nectow said.
He said the benefit in using Champions was that the school district receives steady revenue without the costs and administrative responsibilities of running a program.
"We can examine this when going through the budget process," he said, adding there were many variables to consider such as the cost of lighting, heating as well as supplies and materials.
"We would need to add up all the expenses to determine what the tuition would be to cover the cost," Nectow said.
For students enrolled in the Champions program, the before school program is held 7-9:30 a.m. Per student it costs between $24 and $54 per week, depending on how many days a child attends. The after school program is held from 3-6 p.m. and can cost between $39-$92 per week.