The Waunakee Community School District Board of Education voted 6-1 to increase the district's per-student reimbursement for community 4K partners from $3,600 to $5,000 and approved steps to expand and plan the program.

The board also endorsed a recommendation to open 85 4K open-enrollment seats for January 2026 and authorized formation of a 4K task force, to begin work in early spring, that will include parents, a board member, special education staff, district staff and representatives of community providers.

Administrators said the budget committee recommended the $5,000 stipend as a practical increase that could be offered without immediately blowing the district's approved budget. "The recommendation of the budget committee is to increase the stipend amount from 3,600 to 5,000," the budget presenter said during the meeting.

A community early-childhood provider who addressed the board during public comment urged the board to preserve partnerships with local centers. "To allow these partnerships to fall apart would be kind of forging into the unknown," the provider said, arguing that providers need higher per-child funding to cover wages and services.

Board members debated the financial trade-offs. One member warned the board about long-term fiscal risk from a large, ongoing increase: he said scenarios in which providers do not remain in the system could produce multi-million-dollar structural deficits over several years. Other members noted that $5,000 was lower than the administration's original internal ask and that forming a task force was intended to develop a longer-range 1-, 3- and 5-year plan.

After discussion, a board member moved to raise the stipend to $5,000; the motion was seconded and passed by a roll-call voice vote recorded as 6-1. The board then approved the open-enrollment seats and created the task force, directing district staff to return with specific enrollment numbers and a task-force membership timeline in January.

The administration said the district will send contract offers to 4K partners and use a spreadsheet of district investments (direct costs only) and fall census numbers to calculate impacts. The district also plans to review open-enrollment capacity in January and report back to the budget committee before making further decisions.

The board's action resolves the immediate stipend level for the coming period and sets a path for further planning; the task force is expected to meet in early spring and report back with recommendations that could affect future budgeting and open-enrollment decisions.