Trustees at the Stafford Municipal School Board meeting on Oct. 13 discussed a proposal to expand the Stafford STEM Magnet Academy to include first grade beginning in the 2026–27 school year. District staff presented projected start‑up costs and a recruitment plan and trustees asked administrators to return with a more detailed funding request, capacity confirmation and an explicit admissions/retention plan before any approval.

District staff said the first‑grade expansion would create a natural pipeline from the district’s early STEM program at the Early Childhood Center (ECC) and would help increase in‑district enrollment at the magnet. Staff estimated an initial enrollment target of roughly 66–75 first‑grade students and presented an illustrative one‑time and first‑year cost package: additional certified staff (three classroom teachers, one PE teacher and one instructional aide), furniture, technology (iPads / carts / displays) and instructional supplies. The high‑level total shown in the presentation was about $498,000, with roughly $350,000 of that attributable to salaries (an averaged figure). The presenters said part of the personnel cost would be incurred in the current fiscal year to allow hiring and planning, and the remainder would be covered in the 2026–27 budget as enrollment revenues begin to arrive.

Trustees pressed for precise numbers and timing. Board members asked staff to return with: (1) a single exact dollar amount the board would be asked to commit from fund balance in this fiscal year for furniture/technology/instructional supplies and a precise estimate of the portion of salaries that would be paid before Aug. 2026; (2) confirmation of physical capacity and which rooms would be repurposed; (3) the projected net operating effect (per‑student revenue vs. per‑student cost) once the class reaches steady state; and (4) a clear admissions and retention policy for students who enter the magnet in lower grades and later progress into grades covered by the existing application policy. Presenters said they had identified rooms on the STEM campus that could house three first‑grade classrooms and said preliminary recruiting from the ECC indicated about 30–40 families had already expressed interest.

Trustees did not vote to approve the expansion at the Oct. 13 meeting. Board members asked administration to tighten the budget detail, provide a recruitment timeline that would allow staff to hire and prepare for a 2026 start, and to return to the board with the requested clarifications. The item was tabled for a future meeting.

The STEM magnet expansion was discussed alongside other items about enrollment growth, facility capacity and fund‑balance planning. Trustees asked that staff explain how any one‑time startup costs would be bridged from available fund balance and how the district would recoup those amounts through the state funding formula once students were enrolled.

Ending: Trustees did not approve the expansion at the Oct. 13 meeting and directed staff to return with a more detailed, itemized financial request, capacity verification and a recruitment/admissions plan before any vote.