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Weston proposes fifth ELC section and a tuition increase as demand rises
Summary
Administration proposes expanding the Early Learning Center from four to five sections to serve more children and includes a placeholder tuition increase for FY27 (district cited $9,277 placeholder while the budget book shows $8,525); Dr. Edwards said 55 families applied in the lottery.
Dr. Edwards described record demand for the district’s Early Learning Center (ELC) and said the FY27 proposal adds one section (from four to five) to expand access. She said the expansion both serves more families and reduces the proportion of identified special-education students per classroom, which Dr. Edwards said helps maintain integrated preschool classrooms rather than turning them into special-education-only settings.
"We had a record number of lottery participants. This year, we had 55 families say I want my child to be in the ELC program," Dr. Edwards said, and she told the board the district projects average ELC class size for the upcoming year to be about 14 students. She also noted a legal planning constraint that preschool classes should not exceed a 50/50 ratio of identified students to general‑education peers.
Discussion also covered proposed tuition changes. Phil summarized a five-year lookback for ELC tuition (FY23 $7,118; FY24 $8,039; current FY $8,277) and said the FY27 budgeting process includes a placeholder of $9,277 for tuition, subject to market adjustments; a board member noted the budget book lists $8,525 on a particular page and asked the administration to reconcile the discrepancy.
Board members asked whether higher ELC enrollment affects kindergarten planning; Dr. Edwards said most ELC participants transition to Weston kindergarten and first grade, and the program’s integration with Hurlbut Elementary supports that continuity. Administration said it will include updated tuition, enrollment and class‑size charts in the public Q&A posting for the budget.
