Mansfield to move state preschool to Robinson; staff day care Little Hornets to close

Superintendent Murphy on Tuesday announced that Mansfield Public Schools will move the district’s state-mandated preschool program from the aging Rolling Green School to the Robinson School, and that the shift will result in the closure of Little Hornets, the district-run staff daycare program.

The move is intended to consolidate early childhood special-education services and to place the preschool program in a building that offers food service, a library and easier transitions into kindergarten, Murphy said. He described Rolling Green as “over 100 years old” and said an educational space study completed in 2023 documented substantial facility deficits and estimated a minimum replacement cost of about $20 million, which the state does not reimburse.

The change matters because the district’s preschool is a state-mandated educational program for children with disabilities beginning at age 3, Murphy said; the program includes full-day inclusion classrooms and substantially separate classrooms that must meet state staffing and class-size rules. The superintendent said the district currently operates seven classrooms at Rolling Green and may need capacity to expand to eight during the school year as students enter after evaluations.

At the same time, Little Hornets — a longtime staff daycare and early-learning site that serves infants through preschool-age children and provides internship and practicum opportunities for high school students — will close as a result of relocating the district preschool program. Murphy described Little Hornets as “an extra,” not a state-mandated service, and told the committee the day care tuition revolving account does not cover all costs; he said next year the town’s cost for Little Hornets staff (health insurance, pension assessment and related benefits) would be roughly $300,000 and that municipalities are ineligible for the employer-provided child care tax credit.

The announcement prompted an extended public comment period. More than a dozen current and former staff, parents and students told the school committee they were devastated by the decision, questioned the short notice and asked the district to explore alternatives such as raising tuition, leasing district space to third parties, using other school buildings, or relocating Little Hornets to another nearby site. Speakers said Little Hornets factors into recruitment and retention — several staff said an internal poll showed approximately 49% of respondents reported Little Hornets influenced their decision to work in Mansfield — and that the program provides unique practicum opportunities for high school students interested in early education.

Teachers and parents criticized the timing and communication. Multiple speakers said the district disclosed the change by email and in a last-minute staff meeting; some staff members and families said finding affordable child care on short notice is difficult because many providers enroll a year in advance. Several speakers asked whether the district considered tuition increases, leasing space, or the options identified in the 2023 space study, which they said mentioned Robinson as a potential relocation site.

Murphy said the district prioritized the preschool’s educational needs, including compliance with special education requirements, the ability to screen English-language learners at preschool level, and giving students access to services not available at Rolling Green. He acknowledged the emotional impact of closing Little Hornets and said he prioritized telling Little Hornets staff in person because 11 employees would lose their jobs. Murphy said he scheduled broader staff emails and a listening session to gather community feedback and that the district will seek to relinquish control of Rolling Green and return it to the town for eventual disposition.

The superintendent answered questions about alternative spaces: JJ (Jordan/Jackson), QMS (Quinn Middle School) and MHS (Mansfield High School) were evaluated but lack available or age-appropriate space; modular classrooms previously used at QMS were described as at the end of their useful life; and as a member of the regional collaborative the district must honor rental commitments to the collaborative organization. Murphy said relocating Little Hornets would require retrofits for infant/toddler age-appropriate bathrooms and other features and would incur additional capital costs.

Several attendees and staff asked whether the district had considered raising Little Hornets tuition to help close the gap; Murphy said that even with proposed fee increases in January, tuition would not have covered the full cost once employee benefits were counted and that a large tuition hike likely would exceed comparable local markets.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the preschool move at the March 4 meeting; Murphy said the move was announced the prior Thursday and that formal actions such as transferring control of Rolling Green to the town will be scheduled for committee consideration.

Murphy invited the community to consult the 2023 educational space study, posted on the district website, for additional background about Rolling Green’s condition and the architects’ options and cost estimates. He said the district will prepare follow-up materials on enrollment projections and preschool capacity and welcomed questions from the committee and community as the district develops next steps.