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East Marshall to offer full‑day preschool option and approves 2026‑27 calendar; tuition cap set at $200/month
Summary
The board approved a full‑day four‑day preschool option for 2026‑27 with a proposed tuition cap of $200 per month and adopted the academic calendar that adds monthly full‑day professional development and consolidated parent‑teacher conference evenings.
The East Marshall Community School District board approved Jan. 21 a proposal to offer a four‑day preschool model for four‑year‑olds beginning in the 2026‑27 school year and adopted the district’s 2026‑27 academic calendar.
Preschool teacher Miss Philby (identified in the meeting) outlined the Little Mustangs program, explained the Teaching Strategies GOLD assessment framework used to track learning, and argued that increasing contact from the current two‑day model to four days (full or half‑day) would provide more consistent routines, distributed practice and greater small‑group instruction time for early literacy and social‑emotional development. The presenter shared a preliminary financial model: classroom startup costs of about $12,000 and an estimated operating subsidy of roughly $13,000 based on current parent survey responses; administrators proposed monthly tuition not to exceed $200 per child for families choosing full‑day options.
The board authorized the full‑day preschool option and capped monthly tuition at $200 for 2026‑27. Administrators said they will continue to seek grant and scholarship opportunities to reduce family costs and will expand outreach (social media and community ads) because initial survey responses likely undercount likely enrollments closer to launch.
Separately, the board approved the 2026‑27 academic calendar presented at the meeting. Two substantive changes were approved: converting the first Monday of each month to an all‑day professional development day (to support K‑6 literacy training and to align, online, with Clarksville Community School District) and consolidating parent‑teacher conferences into one evening in fall and one in spring (no school for students those conference days; counted as contact time). Administrators noted the calendar includes built‑in snow‑makeup days and an early‑start alternate calendar that could be used if state policy changes school start dates.
What this means: Parents will have a full‑day preschool option with a modest tuition cap; the district will use its calendar changes to create more focused professional development and more consistent parent‑teacher conference opportunities. Administrators will return with staffing and operational details tied to the preschool rollout and continued calendar implementation.
