Timberlane board asks superintendent to find $150,000 to fund full-day kindergarten for 2025–26

The Timberlane Regional School District board voted Dec. 19 to ask the superintendent to identify $150,000 within the district’s current operating budget to fully fund full-day kindergarten for the 2025–26 school year.

The decision followed a presentation by the district’s ad hoc early-childhood committee, which reviewed listening tours, staff feedback and community surveys and concluded that full-day kindergarten improves readiness, reduces later remediation and lowers childcare costs for families. The committee said the district would receive roughly $4,000 per kindergarten student from state aid in year one under the state’s funding formula and estimated a recurring salary-and-benefit increase of about $143,548 to convert existing halftime kindergarten positions to full-time.

Board members debated how to implement the change. Some members urged placing the item on a warrant article for voter approval; others argued the district could reallocate funds without raising taxes. “We could fully fund full-day kindergarten for under $200,000 with state funding next year,” a board member said during debate, urging immediate action. Another member framed the move as an equity issue: “I’m not okay with a small group of kids in our district missing out on that because they can’t afford the tuition we’re putting out there,” the member said.

After extended discussion about enrollment uncertainty, union obligations and the budget committee’s request for additional reductions, the board amended and then approved a motion charging the superintendent to find $150,000 within the current budget (not to raise the budget) and to convert the two halftime kindergarten positions to full-time equivalents so full-day kindergarten can be offered to all students in 2025–26. The board recorded the motion as passed.

Implementation steps the board discussed included formally creating the two full-time positions so money could be assigned in budget documents and clarifying how the projected cost accounts for benefits. Administrators noted roll-forward state aid assumptions and cautioned that base adequacy figures change annually.

Next steps: the superintendent will identify specific line items for reallocation, and the administration will present amended budget language and staffing authorizations to reflect the board’s direction before the budget committee’s upcoming meeting.