After hearing the expenses associated with expanding preschool offerings, the Flossmoor School District 161 Board of Education will likely table the idea for now.

Funds and physical space are the primary roadblocks to a plan the district has been discussing for several years. There are no unused classrooms available for additional preschoolers at any of the five District 161 schools in operation. Students do not receive instruction at Normandy Villa School, but it is used as the district office and would require significant remodeling to accommodate a preschool.

The initial cost of expanding preschool in the district, including construction and remodeling at one or more schools, is estimated at approximately $10 million for any of the options presented to the board. The recurring staffing costs needed to keep the program running would likely exceed $1.5 million annually. 

Associate Superintendent Fran LaBella told the board that the program expansion plans are not financially viable. 

“This would devastate your fund balance,” she said, adding that it would also put the district’s operating budget in a significantly negative position. “I do not see any way to expand this program, to be perfectly honest with you.”

The district’s current offering is the Preschool For All Program, which provides two and a half hours of daily instruction to 110 children between the ages of 3 and 5, specifically targeting those who may benefit from academic support. The district also offers early childhood preschool for 20 special education students ages 3 to 5 who require specialized instruction and related services. 

Screenings or assessments determine eligibility for these programs, and space is limited, meaning that the district may have to turn away some students.

The ambitious goal of a more robust preschool program is supported by research showing that early intervention can give students a head start and increase readiness for kindergarten across multiple dimensions. However, without funding, the board’s plan to expand the program will likely have to wait. 

Board President David Linnear referred the topic to the finance committee for further discussion on the program’s financial viability.

The board’s Dec. 15 special meeting also served as a truth-in-taxation hearing. A required step in the levy process after the board recently voted to recoup a portion of taxes abated in previous years through property tax relief grants. A representative from the firm that conducts the district’s financial audits was also present at the meeting to inform the board that the district would receive a clean opinion for 2025, or the best rating given, mainly due to the strength of the district’s reserve fund balance.