Richfield proposes four full‑day pre‑K sections, board approves sliding‑scale fees for full‑day pilot

District administrators proposed expanding pre‑K from half‑day sessions to a model that includes four full‑day sections for 4‑year‑olds, to run concurrently with the elementary day, and presented a sliding fee schedule to cover costs and scholarships.

Rachel Jens, director of elementary education, told the board that a December survey of nearly 100 families showed a majority preferring full‑day programming and that about 60% indicated willingness to pay for a full‑day option. ‘‘Seeing what our data suggests about the viability of full day programming and its ability to serve our community, we are proposing, next year moving to offering 4 full day, pre k programs for our 4 year olds,’’ Jens said.

Administrators said the full‑day model would require additional staff to meet state staffing ratios (maximum 20 students per class with 1 teacher and 1 paraprofessional) and would rely on a mix of VPK funding (0.6 ADM per qualifying student), sliding‑scale fees and scholarships (state school‑readiness and early‑learning scholarships). Staff projected the pilot could be run with limited fiscal risk (staff estimated potential exposure on year‑one of roughly $100,000) and that fees were intentionally set below neighboring districts to increase access; scholarship slots will be reserved for eligible families.

After discussion, the board approved the preschool fee schedule by voice vote. Board members requested follow‑up reporting on enrollment numbers after launch (enrollment opens Jan. 15) and on program metrics such as kindergarten readiness and retention between pre‑K and K.

The district said it expects to begin enrollment Jan. 15, will prioritize some scholarship seats for income‑eligible families, and will return with updated enrollment and readiness metrics in spring.