Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ecfe Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents and educators urge board to restore ECFE funding after proposed 30% reduction
Summary
Dozens of speakers at the April 29 listening session urged the board to restore funding for Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), saying proposed cuts would close sites, reduce classes and eliminate critical family supports.
Dozens of parents, educators and union leaders told the Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education on April 29 that proposed reductions to the district’s Early Childhood Family Education program (ECFE) would harm families and reduce access to early learning.
Multiple speakers said the proposed FY2026 plan would reduce ECFE’s overall budget by about 30 percent and shift the program toward a smaller hub model that would close neighborhood sites. Kelsey Wolf, a member of the ECFE Parent Advisory Council and an elementary teacher, told the board ECFE’s funding line is “small” in district terms (she cited $1,100,000) but that the program provides parent education and supports for children ages 0–5 and is widely valued by families.
Parents described ECFE as a first point of contact with the district, a source of community for new and immigrant families, and the place where they learned parenting skills and connected to local services. Samantha Zomer said ECFE gave her and other families community support after her son was born during the pandemic; Pat Mulcahy said ECFE taught parenting topics that improved outcomes for his son. Speakers urged the board to reconsider closing neighborhood sites such as Belvidere, Rondo, Highland Park and Highwood Hills and to avoid a hub model that would force families to travel farther for classes.
Several speakers described programs and affinity groups at neighborhood ECFE sites—African American family night, culturally specific classes, LGBTQ+ family groups—and said those offerings would be difficult or impossible to replicate under a centralized hub approach. Colin McKiernan urged the board to expand, not reduce, ECFE and said the program “should be embedded into every corner of our district.”
Speakers cited research on early brain development and argued early investment reduces later costs and improves educational outcomes. Several said reductions would be felt most by families with the fewest resources and by those experiencing housing instability, language barriers or other hardships.
Board and district leaders acknowledged the public feedback and reiterated the process timeline: public comment would be summarized for the Committee of the Board on May 6, the proposed budget presented May 20, and final adoption ahead of the June 30 statutory deadline. No board vote on ECFE funding occurred at the April 29 meeting.
