The superintendent told the Wareham School Committee on Aug. 21 that the district plans to open a preschool classroom at the high school and an EMT course at the McDuffie Education Center this fall.

On the preschool, the superintendent said the district had tied the playground and fence work to the classroom buildout, planned plumbing tie‑ins and classroom painting, and was targeting Sept. 8 for opening. The superintendent said the program has 15 slots; at the meeting the superintendent stated there were currently “8 students” enrolled for the initial offering and also referenced a separate internal note that listed 17 participants. The superintendent said staff would prioritize filling the available 15 slots and had a backup plan if the Sept. 8 start slipped.

The superintendent said the program will accept staff children when space allows; peer slots are limited to Wareham residents except where a staff member’s child is involved. Families are not being charged fees for the first offering, per discussion at the meeting.

On career programming, the superintendent said the EMT class will begin Sept. 2 at the McDuffie Education Center (the district’s working name for the annex), and 17 students had registered. The presenter noted students must be 18 to take the EMT certification exam and the district is coordinating with local emergency services to align timing.

The superintendent credited a $200,000 appropriation from the town to prepare McDuffie: floors have been waxed, furniture moved in, and technology upgrades (Wi‑Fi, phones, cameras, swipe access) are in progress. The district planned additional bathroom and sewer work before full operations.

Committee members asked whether families were opting to wait for slots at elementary preschools; the superintendent said some families prefer the elementary school option but expected demand to rise once the program is open for visits. Committee members asked about opening the EMT class later to non‑students for a fee; the superintendent said the district had not yet acted on that option but could consider future adult enrollments if slots declined.

No formal votes were taken; staff listed implementation tasks and target open dates and will return with final operational confirmations if timelines change.