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Sleepy Hollow Trustees Discuss Morse Program

SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. — Sleepy Hollow resident Lorena Carchipulla and a group of parents gathered outside Village Hall two weeks ago after the Board of Trustees work session.

They had come to the meeting to voice their concerns over the board’s decision to cut the Morse After-School Program, but couldn’t make public comments because it was a work session. They stuck around outside, discussing the board’s decision.

Carchipulla is one parent who has been to many of weekly meetings in her efforts to get the program reinstated. Carchipulla said she didn’t know what she would do with if the board didn’t reverse its decision, although she was adamant that she would not be going to the YMCA’s after-school program.

“No,” she said. “It’s not the same.”

Carchipulla said she would probably have to pay someone to watch her kids.

“I don’t have any other choice,” she said.

Tuesday night, Carchipulla and the other parents will learn if their efforts have worked. The Parks and Recreation Committee will be recommending whether or not to reinstate the after-school program. During last week’s meeting, Mayor Ken Wray provided two criteria for the committee to use when considering whether the program could be reinstated: it had to be revenue-neutral and parents had to be fully committed for the next year.

“Those things are going to be asked and answered,” Wray said.

Wray continued saying if the program is reinstated, it wasn’t going to turn into a program that lost money.

The issue of revenue was at the heart of the board’s decision to cut the village-run program.  Trustees cited numbers showing that the fees each child paid per month could not sustain the program. They also pointed to the fact that some parents weren’t paying each month and other kids dropped out of the program, thus decreasing revenues.

Trustees have discussed the possibility of raising fees, especially for the children in the program from Tarrytown since the Village of Tarrytown does not contribute any funds toward the program. However, they also worried that an increase in costs, especially to Tarrytown residents, would mean less people would be committed to the program that it would need to be financially viable.

Do you think the village should reinstate the Morse After-School program? Tell us below or on our Facebook page.

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