After school is out for the day in Tacoma, elementary school students can stay at school and participate in educational activities through a program called Beyond the Bell.
But that might be going away.
That’s because Parks Tacoma, the major funder of these programs, is facing roughly $9 million in budget cuts. The district is anticipating layoffs and cuts to services and programs.
The pool of money affected is different from the capital projects levy that Tacoma voters renewed last month to support enhancements within the Parks Tacoma system.
At a public hearing on Monday, community members expressed anger, sadness and confusion about the loss of these programs, which many Tacoma families rely on.
What’s on the chopping block
George Schaaf, the parks and recreation director, told people gathered at the hearing that eliminating Beyond the Bell, along with Club B, which is for middle school students, and other licensed childcare services, is the only option they see available to close the gap.
“ Unfortunately, this is the only option that we see being available at this time,” Schaaf said.
Last fall, the district amended its budget to save money and have a minimal impact on services.
“ The effort there was really to capture all the low-hanging fruit that we could, without impacting public services, and that is no longer available to us as an option,” Schaaf said.
Now, the district is proposing additional cuts to stabilize the budget. In addition to cutting funding for after-school programs, the board is considering laying off 18 full-time staff, reducing part-time positions and seasonal hours, reducing hours at community centers, closing some park restrooms, and limiting hours at the Seymour Conservancy and Fort Nisqually.
Tara Long is the secretary for Parks Tacoma’s Active Lifestyles and Community Wellness Advisory Council. Long, on behalf of the council she represents, asked the board to continue Beyond the Bell in some capacity for at least the next year.
She said this would give families time to adjust and possibly give Tacoma Public Schools and community partners time to figure out how to take over funding of the programs.
“ Without structured environments, children from working-class families particularly are often left unsupervised. This leads to a documented rise in risky behaviors, isolation and screen time,” Long said.
How did this happen?
Some of the district’s operating budget shortfall can be tied to structural financial oversight within the organization; not enough eyes on money going in and money going out.
“ We were budgeting via aspiration,” said Matt Mauer, president of the Parks Tacoma board. “We want to do all these programs, and therefore, this is how much it's gonna cost, and so we'll just find the money to do all the things we want to do, as opposed to creating and operating the programs within the means that you have.”
Parks Tacoma executive director Shon Sylvia resigned from his position in April. Mauer said this was a direct response to the budget problems.
Sylvia received a $538,000 severance package when he separated from the organization, which Mauer said was prescribed in the executive director’s 2023 contract.
Mauer said that when the board hires a new executive director, that person will be under a new contract that the board has complete purview over.
“There would definitely be some things that would not be in the new contract,” Mauer said. “It would be structured a little differently, in my opinion.”
Further explaining those gaps in financial oversight, Mauer said the district’s chief financial officer did not have oversight on every department’s budget, and that that position did not report to the district’s executive director.
Mauer has been on the board since January 2024, making him the second-longest tenured board member.
“ As a body, this previous board, I think, could have been much better and much more actively involved in the management of this organization, for sure,” Mauer said.
The board plans to create a finance committee and hire an auditor, which they do not currently have.
“ Those types of people are the ones that ensure that we're doing things by the book. They're the ones that raise the red flag. They are the wet blanket within the organization. They're the ones that tell you ‘no’ a lot,” Mauer said. “We didn't have that check at Parks Tacoma.”
The board is set to vote on the budget amendment in June.
