Weekly Media Roundup: March 26, 2025

BUSD layoffs: Families Fear Afterschool Cuts Will Further Cripple Understaffed Program, BerkeleySide (California)

More than 100 parents came to a recent Berkeley City Council meeting to urge leaders to expand, rather than reduce, the number of afterschool programs in the city. The families rallied after learning that the district’s nine afterschool program coordinators received notices that their positions might be eliminated in the next school year, as the city tries to address a multi-million dollar budget deficit. “Cutting after-school coordinators when the demand is already outstripping supply is a decision that will leave hundreds of children without a place to go when the school day ends,” parent Kera Bartlett Binns told Berkeleyside. Ramona, an 8^th grader, added that the program “is a place for kids to go after school that is joy-filled, safe, happy, and welcoming.”

UTPB Utilizes NASA Grant to Enhance Afterschool STEM Program for Middle School Students, Odessa American Online (Texas)

The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) is using a New Worlds Await You-II (NWAY-II) grant to engage students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education through immersive space research. Future educators at UTPB get experience teaching middle school students in the afterschool program about energy, food, hygiene, and medical care, while helping them develop blueprints for lunar habitats. “Being part of the afterschool program has helped me build confidence in the classroom and in teaching STEM,” UTPB student RosAaliyah Olguin told the Odessa American. “NWAY is an amazing opportunity to work with students from diverse backgrounds and connect with mentors who share their passion for science.”

Rhonda Walker Foundation Launches Academy for Girls on Detroit’s West Side, Click on Detroit (Michigan)

With support from the Rhonda Walker Foundation, MacDowell Preparatory Academy officially opened its Empowering Her Success Academy afterschool program last week in Detroit, Michigan. “This program is really to help empower you to be the best you can be, see that potential in yourself, and help guide you and show you how to reach your highest goals,” WDIV news anchor and foundation president Rhonda Walker told a crowd of students. The afterschool program provides homework assistance, mentorship opportunities, healthy meals and emotional support in a safe, nurturing environment to girls in third through seventh grade.

Proposed Cuts in Fairfax County Could Eliminate Middle School After-School Programs, WUSA (Virginia)

For nearly 20 years, the Middle School After-School (MSAS) program in Fairfax County, Virginia has provided free enriching activities to approximately 23,000 middle school students each year. “It allows students the opportunity to engage in things they can’t do at home, or their parents can't afford. Things like art, dance, sports, robotics,” MSAS Program Administrator Mark Emery told WUSA. “We have seen behavior improve, grades improve, daytime absences decrease. Children attending the afterschool program are not chronically absent.” Despite these accomplishments and vocal support from many parents, MSAS’s funding is at risk of being dramatically cut due to the county’s significant budget shortfalls.