Board to consider $25,000 feasibility study for full‑day kindergarten; Steps to Achieve presents proposal

Steps to Achieve proposed a districtwide feasibility study for implementing full‑day kindergarten and asked the Boyertown Area School District board to consider contracting the firm for a $25,000 all‑inclusive fee.

The consulting team framed the study as a three‑phase process: discovery and stakeholder engagement, quantitative analysis and modeling, and synthesis with an implementation roadmap and final report. Jane Coconair, who identified herself as an owner of Steps to Achieve and the proposed lead evaluator, said the firm would review district data (enrollment, facility blueprints, PIMS reports and federal/state funding sources), run enrollment and financial scenarios, conduct surveys and focus groups, hold public forums and produce a cost‑benefit analysis and five‑year budget projection. Coconair said onsite engagement would require a minimum of five days and that the study could be aligned with a district demographic report coming at the end of the month.

Board members asked about classroom sizes and logistics. Superintendent Doctor David Heiser and school staff said class‑size targets (roughly in the 20 student range) and other operational constraints would be provided to the consultant during the study. Board members asked that the study explicitly consider all district buildings (nine instructional buildings plus rented space) and multiple options for accommodating additional classroom time, including nontraditional space and shifting grade groupings. A board member asked that stakeholder engagement include senior citizens and residents who do not have school‑aged children; Coconair said her team has engaged broader communities in prior studies and would include them.

Coconair noted tradeoffs the study would examine: educational programming and day length, curricular and staff training needs, additional meal service and food‑service capacity, transportation, special education implications, one‑time transition costs (furniture, materials) and recurring annual costs. She identified possible funding sources to explore during the study, including Title I, Ready to Learn and other state or federal programs.

The board was asked for direction on whether to place the Steps to Achieve proposal on the October 28 legislative meeting agenda for a formal vote. After discussion, the chair asked for a show of hands. The board recorded five members in favor of moving the proposal to the next meeting for consideration.

Administration said the proposal was the single RFP submittal returned to the district and that the board would need to take formal action at a future meeting to approve any contract. The $25,000 fee and the firm’s detailed scope were included in the presentation provided to the board.

The board will consider a formal motion and vote on the contract at the October 28 legislative meeting if it places the item on that agenda.