During Monday’s Madison City Commission meeting, the commissioners held another discussion about the possibility of turning over the Summer and After school programs to EmBe.
EmBe CEO Karrie Teegen spoke with the commission Monday, and said the Embe after school programs try to spark curiosity, while offering a break from a traditional classroom day.
Should Embe take over the program, it would still be hosted at the Community Center.
Community Center Director Jamal Branco said he’s had some good conversations with current families. The biggest concern he said was what the cost change would be.
Should the city continue to operate the After School and Summer programs through the Community Center, those programs’ costs are projected to increase by about 20% in the next year. Tietgen said EmBe’s costs would likely be very comparable to those numbers.
City Administrator Jameson Berreth said the loss of cost control is a concern, but turning over to Embe offers a number of advantages.
Commissioners said they would like to see the discussions continue, and get a formal plan set for the program’s transition to EmBe, which would likely not happen until the new year at the earliest.
