Homewood District 153 has 124 children who could qualify for its pre-kindergarten at-risk program, but space and money limit the class size to 74 kids. School board members started exploring whether there’s a way to remedy that imbalance.
“The community may not have said ‘Build a pre-K or early childhood center.’ They are saying kids need to be ready. Kids need to thrive in kindergarten … so what can we do to ensure that?” School Board President Shelly Marks wondered. “The community expects us to always find ways to do the most with property taxes and this is the most positive (thing).”
A Committee of the Whole discussion Aug. 12 was a lot of conjecture and strategizing all the moving pieces. Board members said they wanted to look at the problem to see if there could be a solution in the future. The board will continue its discussion. There will be no immediate change, and there may not be a decision for the 2025-26 year either.
Helping the youngest students overcome their shortcomings early makes them better learners in their school careers. It also pays dividends later on because the students helped at a younger age to overcome their deficits require fewer intervention services as they move from grade to grade.
The pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first and second graders are at Willow School. The building is bursting at the seams and uses mobile units to provide special services. It would make sense to keep all the youngest children together, but because space is so limited, Willow would have a tough time accommodating another 50 children.
School board members and administrators went through the pros and cons of increasing the pre-kindergarten program offered to children 3 1/2 and 4 years olds in morning and afternoon sessions. Early childhood education gives young ones a great start in life. Superintendent Scott McAlister said District 153 kindergarten teachers know which students have knowledge and skills they learned in pre-kindergarten.
The current pre-kindergarten program is funded with a state grant. There is a possibility of a funding increase, but it’s not certain. Grant funding is paying for the teachers and assistants. If District 153 got an increase, the funding is restricted to the program offered at the time; the dollars can’t be carried over to the next school year, which would make planning for changes easier.
McAlister said he doesn’t believe the state would pull funding, but noted, “To assume all those (pre-K expenses) without grant funding would be really challenging.”
The district could shuffle some classes around to give Willow School the space it would need to serve an expanded pre-K program. It also could eliminate the $50,000 yearly fee for renting mobile units. Removing those units would give Willow more playground space.
James Hart School, now serving sixth, seventh and eighth graders, once was two schools – Hart for seventh and eighth grades and Millenium School serving fifth and sixth grades. Millenium was closed in 2017. Hart absorbed the sixth graders and the fifth graders moved to Churchill School.
Most of the former Millenium space has been converted to staff rooms and storage but could revert back to classrooms. Could the fifth grade move back to the Hart School campus? If so, freeing up that space in Churchill would give the district enough space to move second grade from Willow to Churchill. The move would give Willow the space it would need for additional pre-K students. It would also keep the youngest students together.
The board recognizes that whatever decision it makes, someone will be upset by it.
Board member Jim Schmidt asked the administration to present the board with a tentative dollar amount for the pre-K program expansion and additional costs for moves, etc.
“Our charge is to be educational leaders in the community,” Schmidt said of making tough decisions on school policy. With all the necessary information in hand, he feels a plan would be accepted by the community because “we are being innovative, we’re being preventative, and fiscally responsible.”