North Middlesex committee rejects kindergarten fee; authorizes DESE waiver request for class-size limits if needed

The North Middlesex Regional School Committee voted Wednesday not to charge families for full‑day kindergarten in the coming school year and separately authorized Superintendent Brad Morgan to petition the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for a one‑year waiver to exceed the state kindergarten class‑size regulation (25 students) if needed.

Committee members said affordability and equity were central to their vote and that a countywide petition to DESE would be a contingency, not a guarantee of larger classes.

The waiver request would allow the district to exceed DESE’s 25‑student guideline for kindergarten sections on a one‑year, district‑hardship basis if registration numbers or staffing limits make hiring another full‑time classroom teacher infeasible. Superintendent Brad Morgan told the committee the petition would be sought only “if needed” and that the district has already restored one full‑time paraprofessional to each kindergarten classroom to support larger groups.

During a lengthy discussion, members raised concerns about the educational risks of both charging for full‑day kindergarten and of widening gaps between children who attend full‑day programs elsewhere and those whose families cannot afford fees. “I will never be for charging for full‑day kindergarten,” said Committee Member Randy Roche, voicing a recurring concern that fees would create a two‑tier system that disadvantages younger learners. Several other members said full‑day kindergarten has been “transformational” for students’ social and academic development and that moving to half‑day would produce different, likely negative, tradeoffs.

The committee voted to authorize the superintendent to petition DESE for a one‑year class‑size waiver if necessary; the committee emphasized the request would be used narrowly and that the district would continue to monitor classroom needs and community impacts.

The committee then voted to decline implementing a kindergarten fee for FY26. Committee members who opposed fees said potential short‑term revenue from charging for full‑day kindergarten would not justify the likely long‑term educational consequences for students who could not afford to enroll.

Officials said they would provide more registration data through the summer and would continue to evaluate staffing and enrollment before the school year begins. Morgan also noted the district is exploring state grant opportunities to support early literacy and other targeted tutoring programs that could help lower‑grade students.

The committee’s action does not change the district’s practice of offering half‑day kindergarten where required by state rules; rather, it preserves access to full‑day programming without a parental fee for the coming year and leaves the DESE petition as a contingency mechanism for enrollment or staffing emergencies.