Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Kindergarten Configuration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
RSU 38 board reverses proposed kindergarten consolidation, will keep K in all four elementary schools
Summary
After staffing shifts and community feedback, RSU 38superintendent told the board they could maintain kindergarten sections in all four elementary schools for 2026-27 without layoffs or increasing the FY27 budget; the board voted unanimously to reverse the earlier consolidation plan.
Shawn, the district superintendent, told the RSU 38 school board that recent staffing openings and voluntary teacher movements allowed the administration to preserve kindergarten sections in all four elementary schools for the 2026-27 school year. "We could fill those vacancies and reconfigure elementary staffing in a way that maintains kindergarten in all four buildings," he said, describing a plan that combines kindergarten and first grade at Wayne Elementary into one multi-age classroom to meet earlier staffing-reduction targets.
The superintendent said the original one-year recommendation, approved March 11, would have offered kindergarten only at Manchester and Readfield elementary schools and was driven by declining enrollment, aging facilities and reduced state subsidies. He said the administrative team continued to weigh options in the district's strategic planning process and sought to balance equity and fiscal stewardship.
David, a board member, moved that the board "support reversing the kindergarten consolidation component of the one-year plan for 2026-27 and maintaining kindergarten sections in all four elementary buildings as detailed in the administrative team statement." Noah seconded the motion. Board members thanked staff and community members for their engagement; one member noted the difficulties of public debate and emphasized that decisions were made in good faith. The chair called for a vote; the board indicated unanimous support and the motion passed.
Parents and community members who addressed the board during the citizens comment period praised the reversal. Colleen Bader, a Mount Vernon parent and alum, said the decision "to keep the kindergartners in their hometowns ... is going to go a really long way toward maintaining the positive morale" of the school community.
The administration said the change meets the board-approved staffing-reduction target (a reduction described in the meeting as a shift from 36 to 34 teacher positions) and can be implemented without laying off teachers or increasing the FY27 budget approved April 15. The board and administration framed the decision as a one-year adjustment while the district undertakes a broader strategic planning process on long-term configuration, enrollment and facilities.
