School Committee Approves Preschool Program Tuition Hike

By Adam Swift

The school committee approved an increase in the district’s preschool tuition rates at its meeting on Monday night.

The tuition will now be $8,000 per year for the full-day program, which runs from 8:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., and $4,000 per year for the half-day program, which runs from 8:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. The increase is $1,600 per year for the full-day program and $800 for the half-day program.

“Last year, we went up by $200, but prior to that I think it was probably four years that we last raised it,” said Superintendent of Schools Lisa Howard. “We did a really good analysis of all of the private preschools around us, but also several public preschools around us, and we looked at the hours that they run.”

Howard said the district has 15 slots for the full-day preschool with one teacher and two or three paraprofessionals, depending on the final allocation of special education students in the classroom.

“There are 20 kids in the full day, 15 in general, and five, which could be ten (special education students) because there could be kids in the morning and kids in the afternoon,” said Howard. “Students on IEPs, there is no fee for them to attend the half-day portion of that.”

Howard said there are an additional 15 half-day spots.

“We have three sessions of half-day preschool, so a teacher and either one to two ESPs,” she said. “It has been awhile since we have had an increase to any level that is even close to what other school districts around us charge.”

Howard said the preschool tuitions do not nearly cover the costs for the program.

“We looked at about 15 other communities as well as the private preschools and daycare centers,” said Howard.

Howard said there was a lottery for the full-day preschool, meaning more people want to take part than there are the 15 spots available.

“We did that preschool lottery live, students have been chosen, parents have been notified of where they are on the list,” said Howard, noting that there were about eight students on the waiting list.

The half-day program was not full, Howard said, and parents who were on the waiting list for the full day could choose to go into the half-day program if they choose to, but once they go into the half-day program, they are taken off the full-day waiting list.