Shawnna Forget
News Editor
In a recent decision, RIC’s Student Community Government recently decided to discontinue funding for the cooperative preschool on campus. SCG Vice President Frank Castello explained the primary reason for rendering the program unstainable is due to disproportionate operational costs and the number of beneficiaries who use the program. Castello states, “The Cooperative Preschool required about 40% of SCG’s Student Program Budgeting, yet it served less than .2% of the RIC student body.”
For the academic year 2023-2024, only about 10 students and faculty parents were enrolled in the program, which is markedly low compared to the student population of about 6,000 students.
SCG insisted that the decision was not made lightly but instead made following careful consideration of the financial feasibility, the greater student body and the direct population this decision affects
It is important to note that every year, SCG is tasked with the equitable responsibility of allocating funds to all student activities and organizations. To SCG, it became increasingly evident that the program needed to align with the needs of the general student.
The cooperative preschool will be receiving funding through 2023-2024 academic year, and SCG remains open to considering plausible and realistic alternative solutions. SCG emphasizes that they have reviewed the recent proposal from the preschool parents, but the plan needs to be revised after careful consideration. Castello highlights that the proposal suggests reducing the salary of the teaching staff. SCG found this to be unfit with their commitment to fair compensation. Additionally, the budget outlined a heavy reliance on unpredictable grant funding.
More crucially, the proposal should have highlighted the significant maintenance costs that are needed to make the building safe and sustainable. Under SCG policy, Student Activity Funds cannot be used to fund maintenance costs of buildings. This was another crucial marker for the decision-making process.
Lastly, the preschool parents requested an extension of the funding for another semester. SCG states they can not justify extending the funding as the program is already operating under an extension provided to them through the end of next semester.
SCG acknowledges and understands how this will impact those who rely on the program, as the decision was not made lightly. SCG states they are committed to making decisions that foster the best environment for all students.
If you have any more questions, please reach out to the Student Community Government at ricscg@ric.edu.