Resident presents neighborhood-preschool plan to help reverse enrollment decline

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — A resident and member of a city/district subcommittee presented data and a proposal to the council on March 9 aimed at increasing enrollment in Grosse Pointe Public Schools by expanding neighborhood preschool offerings.

Matt Kale, who identified himself and his address for the record and said he serves on a Grosse Pointe Park city-council subcommittee that worked on the district survey, said a professional survey achieved a 71% response rate in the area studied and that the findings show strong demand for preschool. "Eighty-eight percent of those families go to preschool and 80% want to send them to Grosse Pointe Public Schools preschool," he said.

Kale said the district experienced a 10-percentage-point decline in its capture rate between 2017 and 2022 and attributed a loss of approximately 851 students — which he estimated translates to about $9,000,000 in lost revenue — though he urged further investigation. He proposed a budget-neutral neighborhood-preschool model, citing state preschool funding opportunities and a district strategic-planning process already underway.

Council members thanked Kale for the presentation, asked how the school board views the idea and emphasized the separate roles of the city and the school board. Several members urged the district to examine the data in its strategic plan process; staff and council members noted the district must consider building capacity and operational costs when weighing preschool expansions.

Kale’s proposal and the survey results will inform ongoing district planning; the council asked staff to maintain communication with the district as the strategic plan develops.