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Medfield School Committee approves higher preschool and full-day kindergarten tuition amid budget shortfall
Summary
The Medfield School Committee voted to raise four-day preschool tuition to $9,000 and to restore full-day kindergarten tuition to $3,500 for FY27 to generate revenue projected to preserve positions; administrators said the increases are intended to move certain kindergarten positions out of the operating budget while offering targeted financial support for families.
The Medfield School Committee on Feb. 5 approved proposed increases to preschool and full-day kindergarten tuition as part of FY27 budget adjustments.
Administration recommended raising four-day preschool tuition to $9,000 for FY27 and reverting full-day kindergarten tuition to $3,500 (the figure originally used prior to a planned reduction). Dr. Marson told the committee the preschool increase is projected to yield about $28,320 based on the district’s 16 enrolled preschool students; the kindergarten change was projected to increase revenue by roughly $146,250 based on an assumed enrollment figure of 195 students.
"We recommend full four-day tuition for preschool to be $9,000 beginning in FY27," Dr. Marson said, and added that the additional revenue “will allow us to move kindergarten positions out of the operating budget and then into the revolving account,” a step the administration said would help preserve instructional positions.
Committee members debated equity and the local impact on families. One member said the decision was difficult but framed it as a trade-off aimed at preserving teaching positions. Committee speakers emphasized the district will continue to work with community partners to offset costs for families in need.
The motion to approve the tuition changes was moved, seconded and called: the chair announced the motion carried. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote tally by name.
Why it matters: School officials said the increases are intended to generate predictable revenue to reduce the number of staff reductions the district would otherwise face as it seeks to close a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar budget gap for FY27. Committee members and administration repeatedly framed the action as a short-term, necessary step to preserve classroom positions while they pursue other budget and revenue strategies.
What’s next: Administrators said they will continue coordinating with town partners and nonprofit groups to identify supports for families who cannot afford the new rates and will reflect the revenue change in the FY27 budget documents submitted to the warrant committee later in February.
