Two local groups will continue providing after-school enrichment for elementary and middle school students in Santa Maria, but a statewide organization will soon be in the mix, too.
Santa Maria-Bonita School District board members voted 4-1 on April 15 to approve three-year contracts with the Boys and Girls Club of the Central Coast, the Santa Maria Valley YMCA, and Think Together, a nonprofit that offers extended learning opportunities across California. Starting in the fall, the two local groups will lead activities on four campuses each, while Think Together will be responsible for programming on 13 campuses.
The last request for proposal was awarded three years ago to the YMCA, but previous services also came from the Boys and Girls Club and the city of Santa Maria, according to Laurie Graack, the director of teaching and learning supplemental programs.
After board members moved the item from the consent agenda to discuss it further, community members expressed hesitations about allowing a non-regional group to have a stake in Santa Maria schools.
“I respectfully ask that you reconsider the recommendation to award after-school programming at 13 of your schools to a non-community organization, Think Together, and just four schools each to the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club,” Joe Dana said.
Dana, a local educator and Santa Maria Valley YMCA board member, said he’s been impressed by visits to Adam, Alvin, Rice, Robert Bruce, and Tunnell elementary schools over the past three years. In a pre-recorded message played at the meeting, Dana praised the rapport he saw between staff and students during after-school academic, recreational, and social activities.
“These organizations want the best for young people in this community because they are of this community,” Dana said.
Board member Linda Cordero cast the sole dissenting vote at the meeting after questioning what Think Together programs might look like in practice.
“One of my biggest concerns about employing or utilizing an outside agency is their understanding of our community,” Cordero said. “What you see on paper or what is part of a presentation doesn’t necessarily guarantee that that will be the final product.”
Graack said the district saw all three organizations in action, running programs with the same funding and requirements as Santa Maria-Bonita. For example, district representatives observed a Think Together program in Compton.
“We have visited communities very much like us with very many of the same challenges, the same demographics, the same multicultural influence in the community,” Graack said. “And what we saw was absolutely exactly what we want for our children.”
Think Together hires local employees, tailoring activities to meet the needs of schools, according to Katy Wallace, the organization’s director of district partnerships. Wallace said she was a teacher and administrator in the Lompoc Unified School District for 22 years.
“We build relationships and work closely with parents, teachers, principals, and district administrators to ensure we are following the district’s mission and vision,” Wallace said.
Santa Maria-Bonita judged proposals based on technical and financial elements, selecting multiple organizations to take on the five groupings of schools. The final scoring phase was a presentation and interview with an evaluation committee. Think Together scored higher overall than the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club.
Costs are still being negotiated, but the contracts must not exceed $7.79 million with Think Together, $3.22 million with the YMCA, and $2.2 million with the Boys and Girls Club.
Following funding requirements, programs must last from dismissal until 6 p.m. and include academics and physical activity. The district pays based on student enrollment, and families access programming at no cost.
“I’m happy that we’re looking outside or expanding our view,” board member John Hollinshead said, “but also at the same time making sure that folks here are employed and the people from our community are part of our endeavors.”
This article appears in April 23 – April 30, 2026.