ShawneeDispatch.com

The Johnson County Park and Recreation District plans to meet further with parents to determine if there are any alternatives to save a Shawnee preschool program.

Several parents spoke to the district’s board of commissioners Wednesday, expressing their dissatisfaction with the planned closure of the Early Childhood Development Center at Tomahawk Hills Golf Course in August. Commissioners asked district staff to meet with the parents to see if an alternative could be found.

The district decided to discontinue the preschool after the current clubhouse at Tomahawk was razed. It would cost more to renovate the building than to build a new building, and the district decided not to include space for the program in the new clubhouse.

The five parents spoke before the board, saying they had not been given enough information about why the preschool was closing. They said while there were other daycare options available in the area, the caliber of the school was what was important.

“This is not about displacement; it’s about the quality of care they get with Tomahawk,” Becky Scheiber said. “It is unique to Johnson County, and we think it’s worth saving.”

Parents ask that the park district work with the preschool’s parent advisory council to find solutions.

Parents told the board they would be willing to help find ways to raise $20,000, a figure that was included in a letter to parents that explained what additional funding would be necessary to continue the preschool program.

Jill Geller, superintendent of recreation, said it was not as simple as $20,000; there were several reasons the district chose to discontinue the preschool.

“It does seem too easy to keep it open if that was all the facts,” she said.

Geller said the district studied options of moving the preschool elsewhere and couldn’t find anything financially feasible.

But commissioners asked that park staff meet with parents to explain the issues involved in keeping the preschool operating and see if other options were available.

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