The city of Lincoln is considering pulling out of a citywide educational effort that provides before- and after-school care and summer programs to thousands of students.

On Tuesday, Mayor Chris Beutler’s office sent a letter to Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Susan Gourley informing her of the city’s intention to re-examine its role in the district’s Community Learning Center initiative.

“As long as I am Mayor, the City of Lincoln will continue our collaboration with the CLC partners,” Beutler wrote. “However, the City’s continuing budget crisis has forced us to examine every facet of City spending.”

This year, the city spent $178,000 on the nationally recognized initiative, which offers a host of educational services meant to improve student learning and strengthen families and neighborhoods.

Lincoln has 23 centers — 18 at elementary schools and five at middle schools. The schools partner with community groups that hire site supervisors for the program and provide other support.

Lynn Johnson of the city Parks and Recreation Department said the city employs four on-site supervisors at six centers and provides other services at those sites.

LPS spends about $843,000 on centers and employs 15 on-site supervisors, said Cathie Petsch, coordinator of the CLC initiative.

She said it would be difficult for LPS to find new partners able to replace the city’s contributions.

“It really is a community initiative and from my perspective it is important the city remain involved in this,” she said.

The sites served more than 2,000 children in the 2003-04 school year.

In the letter to Gourley, Beutler listed several reasons for the city’s decision to reconsider its role.

Chief among them: the city’s ballooning deficit from stagnant sales tax increases and increasing personnel costs. He said the city is facing a $6 million budget gap for its 2008-2009 budget and has few options because of cuts it made to its 2007-2008 budget.

The city is looking for ways to shift to the nonprofit sector the human services the city provides, Beutler said.

The city believes nonprofits are able to provide human services cheaper than the city. Nonprofits don’t have to abide by state laws requiring municipalities to pay salaries comparable to those of similar municipalities.

Beutler’s office also sent the letter to Journal Star publisher and chairman of the CLC Executive Board John Maher, Johnson and Petsch.

City representatives plan to meet with the CLC Executive Board Thursday to discuss proposals the city is considering that, according to the letter, include:

* The city would provide funding to the centers but not directly provide services or employees as a lead agency for the initiative.

* The city would attempt to find transitional funding while new partnerships could be created to fill the void left by the city.

* Should the city’s financial situation improve, it would consider providing additional funding.

“We are hopeful that a new structure can be developed that allows the City to remain as a financial partner, sustains the CLC programs currently in place, and maintains the quality of the CLC sites,” Beutler wrote.

Reach Kevin Abourezk at 473-7225 or kabourezk@journalstar.com.