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Click Here 43 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 9, 2004 South Medford High School freshman Veronica Kyne would have to change high schools to keep her 7-month-old daughter, Maria Duran, enrolled in the school district�s in-house day-care program, which is free to student parents. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Medford School District will consolidate day care Teen parents at South will have to transfer to North if they want child care By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune South Medford High School will lose its child-care center to the school district’s budget gap. Declining rates of teen pregnancy and funding difficulties were both factors in the district’s decision to close a day-care and pre-school at South Medford. The school district’s teen parent program and South staff will move to North Medford High School in June. Teen parents enrolled at South who require child care must transfer to North or lose the free child care the district provides. The case manager for North Medford’s teen parent program, Ruth Chittock, is just one of dozens of employees the district will lay off next month in a round of cuts necessary to plug a $2.4 million budget hole. School officials estimate the district will save about $125,000 each year by consolidating child-care services at North, which has a superior facility, said Dan Zacklan, director of secondary education. The cuts will happen even if Oregon voters in February’s special election let stand a tax surcharge approved by state legislators, school officials said. Advertisement The majority of students served in the teen parent program would have to change schools to retain child care. About 50 student parents are enrolled in South’s day-care/preschool program, compared to 20 at North, said Debbie Johnson, case manager for the teen parent program at South. The move will be difficult for many teens, she said. "When you’ve attended a school, you don’t want to leave that school," Johnson said. Freshman Veronica Kyne said she has no plans to switch schools even if it means handing her 7-month-old daughter, Maria, over to a babysitter. Kyne hasn’t decided how she’ll deal with the change but said she anticipates transportation arrangements will be difficult. And Maria won’t benefit from being close to her mother during the school day. "She’d be better off here" at South, Kyne said. The needs of all teen parents will be met if they can suffer through a change in schools, officials said. But whether the school district can continue offering pre-school services to the general public is still up the air, officials said. North’s child-care complex recently was certified to accommodate 105 children from infants to preschool age. The number of slots available to community members will depend on the number of teen parents seeking child care, Johnson said. Jacksonville resident Sheree Radaford, one of the school district’s public customers, said the closure of South’s preschool will sever a four-year relationship between her daughter, Gracen, and staff members who have cared for the girl since she was 3 months old. North’s preschool would be too far to take Gracen, Radaford said, adding that she will likely enroll her daughter in a Jacksonville preschool that offers a price comparable with South’s. Despite funding woes, school officials said they are heartened by the steadily declining rates of teen pregnancy. The school district’s teen parent program was conceived in 1992 as officials wrestled with how to keep increasing numbers of teen parents in school, Johnson said. This year, the district has served about 100 teen parents compared to 198 last year and 237 during the 2001-02 school year, she said. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times