Several community members spoke out in defense of Safe and Sound School Child Care Services.
The Tabernacle Township Board of Education tabled a resolution to award a bid for its before- and after-school care services to YMCA Camp Ockanickon, Inc. after several community members spoke against the move.
The proposal would have switched Tabernacle’s before- and after-care services from Safe and Sound School Child Care Services to the YMCA’s Schools Out program.
During public comment, numerous parents and volunteers at Safe and Sound spoke out in defense of the program that has been in place since 1975.
Christina Nixon, a former Olson Middle School student, has two children of her own — one who attends Safe and Sound regularly and one who is eager to be a part of the program in two years.
“Tabernacle is known for being a small town, but big in heart,” Nixon said. “Safe and Sound has been providing a service to the working parents of this community since before I became a student here in the early ‘80s.”
Bookkeeper and board member of Safe and Sound Kim Brown has been volunteering for the organization alongside her family for more than 25 years.
“If the board votes to award the contract to YMCA we’re going to begin the process to close out the nonprofit.” Brown said. “The only reason our nonprofit was in existence is for the families of Tabernacle.”
The Tabernacle school district went through a request for proposal process for its before- and after-school care services. YMCA Camp Ockanickon, Safe and Sound, and Advanced Education Centers were the three organizations that issued bids.
YMCA Camp Ockanickon bid the most for the contract, offering to pay $10,000 to the district. Safe and Sound offered to pay $2,000, and Advanced Education Centers offered $7,000.
According to Jessica L. DeWysockie, business administrator and board secretary for the district, RFP points are based on multiple criteria, including management, technical and cost criteria. Questions and information are asked to be provided in the proposal and are evaluated by a committee made up of three to eight members of the public, board members and district employees.
The point system is a matrix ranging from one (items in proposal don’t meet standards) to five (items in the proposal exceed standards) or multiples of depending on the weight/importance of each item.
Each evaluator on the committee then evaluates the proposals and the vendor based on the interview and all evaluations are then averaged. The proposal with the highest total points is then recommended to the board for approval.
In this case, YMCA Camp Ockanickon had a total point value of 95, Safe and Sound had 67, and Advanced Education Centers had 62.
Board member Brian Lepsis said to those in attendance at the board meeting, “I don’t want our folks to feel like they’re ignored.” Lepsis said. “Your comments, they hit home.”
He continued, “I think it would be remissive of us to make the recommendation to accept the RFP until we have the analysis and can say ‘hey, what’s the effect on the families?’”
Board member Gail Corey followed with an apology to the parents. “I don’t think I was looking at the impact on the parents, and I really appreciate the parents who spoke up.” Corey said. “From my end, I apologize that you weren’t informed a lot earlier.”
The resolution was tabled until the May 21 meeting, giving parents the opportunity to get more information about the RFP criteria.
The RFP can be reevaluated if the board votes against changing the before- and after-care program to YMCA Camp Ockanickon, although it does not guarantee a change in total points for any party.
In other news:
— A group of fourth-grade Program for Enrichment, Reasoning and Creativity students, who are finalists in the “Nicky Fifth’s Read Across America — NJ” contest, presented their submission. Each student wrote about what makes New Jersey and its people special, and made it into one collaborative piece.
— The next Board of Education meeting will be a committee of the whole work session on May 7 at 6 p.m.
