Discussion held at June board meeting
Aurora Supt. Jody Phillips announced last month that the district will not be adding another preschool class next fall, though conversations are continuing with other organizations about ways to help serve the growing need for preschool instruction in the community.
Phillips had been authorized by the board at the May meeting to advertise a new preschool teaching position and also look into purchasing temporary facilities such as a used modular to accommodate an additional class possibly needed after Head Start announced it would be closing its Aurora facility in May. Since that time, he advised the board at the June 10th meeting, more details came to light which made those plans unnecessary.
“The reason Head Start closed is that they were not serving enough students that qualify for Head Start,” Phillips explained of the May announcement that the L Street preschool would be closing. “When the financial constraints kicked in they had to make some choices.”
With Head Start closing, that left many families without a plan for their preschool age children next fall. Phillips said after contacting many of those families, however, it was determined some had moved away and some were no longer age eligible for preschool.
“We have reached the ability to be able to take on the majority of the Head Start students into our current classrooms, so we won’t need to hire additional staff and we won’t need to do anything facilities related as far as an additional classroom,” Phillips said. “Everybody has a spot. I think as we looked at things, the temporary fix, whatever temporary fix we did, was going to be somewhat costly and I’m not sure that it would have lasted past a year, so on the financial side of things this is the best-case scenario as well.”
The one downside, Phillips said, is that the class sizes of the two existing classes will increase by three or four students each, leaving no additional room for growth.
Jessica Block, the district’s special education coordinator, confirmed that she had contacted every family impacted by the change.
“Our classes are full,” she said. “So even with the new legislation, there are some people who want to have their child come to that third year of preschool, but I’m full and I can’t take them. That’s the downfall and that’s why there is a need to increase because there are still students that need it.”
Phillips said that while plans are in place to remain at two preschool classes for this next year, he would like to broaden the conversation as to how the community will move forward in future years.
“We will probably kick off the 2024-25 school year listening to conversations with some of the other community providers as far as what the expansion of preschool looks like and get that conversation going,” he said. “That will probably be something we do in the fall because we probably will not be able to continue with just the two classrooms that we have.
“I do think that this is an outcome where everybody benefits, mainly from the standpoint of let us take care of education,” he continued. “If we have our community talk care of daycare, then I think that is the best for everybody involved.”
There is also the possibility of the school district partnering with Head Start in some way, so that conversation will continue as well.
“They had expressed interest in partnering with us,” Phillips concluded. “I don’t know what that would look like, but there’s still that possibility, even if we’re the ones housing it and Head Start could potentially be financially contributing some resources to us for our programs.”
Phillips concluded his June report by saying that he will be meeting with BVH (the company hired to do a facilities study) to get the latest update on the project. He said he expects to have different options and recommendations related to a master plan available for the board’s review by fall.
The board approved several action items at the June meeting. They included:
* approving a student Apple iPad lease, which will be financed over 48 months with a .63 percent interest rate for $65,394.17 annually. The total financed is $258,853.50, with up to $100,000 also expected through a buy-back of old iPads;
* approving a new Bridges math curriculum for grades K-5 at a one-time cost of 54,697;
* approving the district’s Safe Return to School Plan, a required policy which originated during the COVID pandemic. Phillips said this will be the last time the plan is required, adding that all ESSER funds will have been spent by the end of August;
* affirmed the district’s parental involvement policy, after an earlier public hearing which drew no comments;
* adopted a student fees policy after an earlier public hearing which drew no comments.
Editor’s note: This ANR report was inadvertendly left unpublished after the June board meeting.