West Oso ISD reviews proposed Upbringing Head Start MOU to pilot dual‑enrollment pre‑K 3 classroom

West Oso ISD trustees heard a proposal from Upbringing Head Start officials to pilot a dual‑enrollment pre‑K 3 classroom on a district campus. Upbringing representatives said the program would enroll students as both Head Start and West Oso ISD students, provide an education coach and family advocate, and supply some classroom funding and staff costs under the Head Start grant.

Upbringing officials described a three‑phase partnership process: an initial “courting” and fact-finding phase, a memorandum-of-understanding and operational planning phase, and a reflection/assessment phase once the pilot is operating. Upbringing representatives said they would pay the full salary of a classroom teacher assistant and half the salary of the lead teacher (subject to Head Start caps), provide training for staff, supply classroom materials (they cited a $1,500 per-class cap for supplies), support home visits, and assign an education coach and family advocate to the campus. They said Head Start regulations require a 20% in‑kind contribution and that part of the in‑kind would be the use of district space, administrator time and other shared resources.

Upbringing representatives said typical pre‑K classroom size for Head Start is capped (they cited a maximum enrollment of 17 for the classroom under the model). They described services to identify and connect families to health and developmental services, to support attendance and family engagement, and to provide professional development for teachers. They also said some start‑up furniture and supply costs can be provided through the Head Start grant.

Board members asked several operational questions that remain unresolved in the packet and would need to be nailed down before a final MOU: how state average daily attendance (ADA) would be recorded and how district ADA funding would be affected; whether the district would be expected to supply diapers or other consumables or whether those would come from Head Start funds; the specific staff‑time and space counted as Head Start in‑kind; and any safety, facilities or inspection requirements for a campus classroom. Board members also raised concerns about enrolling three‑year‑olds who are not toilet trained and emphasized that district teachers and paraprofessionals should not be reassigned without consent.

District and Upbringing staff proposed next steps: a classroom site visit, a written breakdown of what Upbringing would supply for the pilot classroom, and follow‑up meetings to draft a formal MOU. No board action or vote was taken on the proposal at the meeting; trustees asked staff to return with the requested operational details for consideration at a future meeting.