Lakeville community education reports high demand, limited preschool capacity and operating deficits

Lakeville Area Schools’ community education director told the board May 27 that the district’s community education program is operating at high demand but constrained by facility capacity and funding rules.

Steve Porter, director of community education, said the department recorded roughly 25,000 registrations last year across 16 program areas — early childhood, before- and after-school care, summer programs, enrichment, adult basic education and facility use. ‘‘We have 92,000 estimated hours of indoor facility use last year,’’ Porter said, and community satisfaction metrics remain high.

Nut graf: While registrations and use have rebounded after the pandemic, leaders said Crystal Lake Education Center is at capacity, Small Wonders Preschool and other early-childhood slots fill quickly, and some community-education programs operate at a deficit. The department recommends evaluating space and funding choices to serve more families and reduce off-campus PSEO spend by expanding concurrent enrollment on high school campuses.

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