Natchitoches officials report full pre-K classes, limited funding and wait lists

Miss Rasheal, a district staff member, told the Natchitoches Parish School Board that acceptance letters for pre-K 4 were mailed June 2 and that several sites are full for the upcoming year. “Currently Marthaville is at 18. Magnet is full to capacity at 40 for pre k 4. Provincetal is at 30 and they are full based on staffing capacity,” she said.

The district relies on two main federal funding streams for preschool services, Rasheal said: Title I and the LA 4 program. “Federal funds are Title I. We have a Title I preschool. It’s an allowability for us as a district to set aside funds for preschool. … And so those are the 2 pockets of money that we're able to pull from,” she said.

Rasheal told the board that staffing and program-eligibility rules limit the district’s ability to open additional classes even when there is demand. She said LA 4 funding uses income-eligibility rules (the district referenced roughly “200% below the poverty line”) that affect whether a classroom can be funded. “A huge part of our funding is funneled through LA 4 and it's based on the students who are eligible for the LA 4 funding,” she said.

When asked what the district offers families placed on a wait list, Rasheal listed local, academic-approval childcare centers that participate in the parish early childhood network and said the district tries to coordinate placements with them: “Bridal Beginnings, Cobblestones, A to Z, Tiny Tots, FASE, Just Us,” she said. She added that the district does not operate a scholarship program for pre-K 4: “Unfortunately, it does not. And that's been the challenge for pre k 4. … We do not have a scholarship program for pre k 4. It's only infants and ages 1, 2, and 3 year olds.”

Board members pressed whether the district could add another class if demand rose (for example, “if you got 15, 20 kids on a waiting list”), and Rasheal replied that the limiting factor is funding for teacher and paraprofessional positions and budgeted salary capacity rather than classroom space alone. She said the district keeps wait lists and that the small number of students currently waiting (she said “less than 5 students” at present) could change at the start of the school year.

Rasheal also provided a snapshot of federal program spending: she reported LA4 reimbursements of $607,104 as of March 2025 and projected Title I spending at about 85% with an allowable 15% carryover. She said Title II and Title V expenditures and rollovers are being managed as part of the district’s federal budget cycle, and that staff are preparing for a Title II desk review.

Nut Graf: District staff told the board that several pre-K 4 classrooms are full because available federal funding and program eligibility constrain hiring for additional classes; the district is coordinating with local childcare providers to support families on wait lists but does not offer a pre-K 4 scholarship program.

Background: The presentation was part of the federal programs/informational reports section. Rasheal said acceptance letters were mailed on June 2 and listed enrollment counts at specific sites (Marthaville 18, Magnet 40, Provincetal 30, Fairview full at 20, LP Vonn at 90). She described the district’s use of Title I and LA 4 funds and noted the district’s expectation of federal budget notices and the forthcoming Title II desk review.

What’s next: Staff did not propose a funding change at the meeting; board members asked that the numbers be tracked and requested additional information that staff said they could supply (for example, the exact count of students eligible for LA4). Ending: Rasheal closed the report and the board moved on to other agenda items.