Eastside Student Center Receives Donation to Cover ELO-P Deficit After School Board Expresses Concern
PRESS RELEASE
EASTSIDE STUDENT CENTER RECEIVES DONATION TO COVER ELO-P DEFICIT AFTER SCHOOL BOARD EXPRESSES CONCERN
After months of conversations between Eastside Student Center Executive Director Tyler McManus, BUSD Superintendent Katie Kolker, and BUSD After-School Coordinator Brittney Rossi, on April 27, Kolker presented McManus with a maximum potential allotment of $194,000 for 5th- and 6th-grade ELO-P for the 2026-2027 school year. McManus expressed uncertainty that ESC would be able to operate on a budget of less than 50% of the 2025-2026 budget, and on May 11, Kolker notified McManus that BUSD would be moving 5th- and 6th-grade ELO-P on campus, thereby terminating the partnership after three years and shuttering ESC’s Fowler Street location.
Last night, McManus presented the BUSD board with a modified plan for 2026-2027 designed to meet the new budget, in which the $194,000 allotment would leave ESC with a deficit of approximately $28,000. BUSD Board President Dr. Claudia Moya Tanner expressed concern about ESC’s ability to fundraise for the deficit on such a short timeline.
With this knowledge, this afternoon, an anonymous local donor handed ESC a check for $25,000 in order to guarantee the majority of the deficit while ESC continues to raise funds. This donation is restricted to be used only for the 5th- and 6th- grade ELO-P program with BUSD as a partner. With this deficit now nearly guaranteed, ESC is again asking BUSD to consider renewing the contract and reinstating ESC’s ability to provide afterschool programming for 5th- and 6th-grade.
The BUSD school board will meet on Thursday, June 11, at 8:00 am to vote on the budget for 2026-2027.
ESC recognizes the difficult decision in front of the District as well as the board’s responsibility to balance quality programming with fiscal responsibility. It is the opinion of ESC that, with the guaranteed deficit donation, continuing this partnership in the best interest of BUSD students.
FOR RELEASE 4:00 P.M. PST, JUNE 10, 2026
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