Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Preschool Extended Day Rates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Litchfield board approves 6% increases to several preschool and extended-day fees for 2025–26
Summary
The Litchfield Elementary School District Governing Board approved tuition changes April 22 for preschool and extended-day programs for the 2025–26 school year, including a 6% increase to several fees and a new preschool-only extended-day rate.
The Litchfield Elementary School District Governing Board voted April 22 to approve changes to community-education tuition for preschool and extended-day programs for the 2025–26 school year, including a 6% increase to several fees and a new preschool-only extended-day rate.
District director Dr. Michael Stair presented the proposals, saying the increases aim to keep the programs fiscally sustainable and to cover rising personnel and operating costs. He recommended a 6% increase to half-day preschool tuition and to extended-day tuition for non-preschool families, while holding the current full-day preschool tuition at $8.85 and creating a separate PM extended-day fee for preschool families.
Dr. Stair said the district's current full-day preschool tuition of $8.85 sits between medians for comparable programs and that creating a separate PM extended-day rate would avoid charging families for hours they do not use. He provided specific figures during the presentation: the current PM-only extended-day rate of $2.65 would increase by 6% to $2.81; a corrected proposed half-day preschool rate was identified during discussion as $3.84. Dr. Stair told the board the changes would keep the district’s program competitive with school-district alternatives and below the cost of commercial childcare.
The presentation also noted program enrollment numbers: about 90 extended-day children and 358 preschool children in the district’s community-education program at the time of the report. The board set the effective date for the new rates to begin July 31 (the first day of school on the district schedule) so summer camp families would not be affected mid-summer.
Motion and vote details: Mr. Mikes moved to approve the extended-day and preschool rates for the 2025–26 year as discussed; Miss Moran seconded. The board chair and both voting members present cast “yea,” and the motion passed.
Board members expressed appreciation for the careful, conservative approach to changes. Miss Moran said the district tried to keep programs sustainable without charging more than necessary, and Mr. Mikes said he supported the methodical approach that aims to preserve program quality rather than “make money off of the kids or the community.” No amendments or additional follow-up tasks were assigned at the meeting.
