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Marlboro board plans Abbott Center preschool shift while debating expansion and state "universal" preschool rules
Summary
Superintendent told the board the district will move kindergarten classes out of the Abbott Center and repurpose the site for an integrated preschool overseen by special services; trustees pressed administration on space, funding and whether state 'universal preschool' rules would limit local curriculum control.
Superintendent Malone told the Marlboro Township School District board that all kindergarten classes will be moved out of the Abbott Center and that the Abbott Center will instead house the district's integrated preschool program, managed by special services. "We will not have any kindergarten classes at the Abbott Center," Malone said, describing the change as a budget-driven realignment that "doesn't affect class size, doesn't affect programming, and it saves us a lot of money."
The change comes as administrators seek to make the district more efficient following retirements and resignations; Malone said principals will be reassigned (naming the planned moves) so the district can reduce one principal position without cutting classroom services. Malone told trustees that the special services supervisor will be based at the Abbott Center daily while the director (who holds a principal certificate) will provide building-level oversight. "The supervisor will be there on a daily basis, and then the director will be the person overseeing the building as sort of wearing the principal hat," he said.
Why it matters: the Abbott shift would centralize early-childhood special services and create district-managed preschool seats, potentially giving families an option beyond private providers. Board members questioned whether the move is a step toward the state's longer-term universal-preschool rollout and what it would mean for space, costs and local curriculum control. Trustee (speaker 11) said she was "not for universal preschool" in principle but noted rising local demand from new housing. Malone said he would like to expand in-house preschool but warned that space is the primary constraint and that tuition currently does not cover the full cost of care. "Currently, we 'we have 30 students, who are paying tuition, who are on the general education side," Malone said, adding that a modest expansion of 10 students could yield roughly $100,000 in additional revenue but would not fully close the funding gap.
Board members also asked about curriculum for state-granted preschool seats. A trustee voiced concern that state-granted programs have mandated curricula with "very little leeway," and Malone agreed that contracting out to private providers can create challenges for local control. He said the district would proceed "incrementally" and report back when more detailed classroom ratios and budget scenarios are available.
What comes next: Malone said administration may return to the board as soon as next month with a more detailed analysis of expansion possibilities and classroom ratios. The board also asked administration to clarify how special-education supervisory coverage and PTO/parent support would be structured once the Abbott Center hosts the integrated preschool. The board then moved to executive session on personnel matters and did not take further public action that night.
