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Crestwood board to consider new K–6 Art & Humanities special for 2025–26
Summary
Administrators recommended a graded Art & Humanities special for K–6 at Rice and Fairview beginning 2025–26, rotating with existing specials and adding early world-language exposure; the board directed the proposal to next week's agenda for full consideration and asked administration to include startup costs in the 2025–26 budget draft.
District administrators presented a proposal to add an Art & Humanities special for all kindergarten through sixth-grade students at Rice and Fairview elementaries, to begin in the 2025–26 school year if the board approves next week.
The program as described would rotate on the four-day special cycle alongside music, physical education and the Crestwood Creator/STEM offering. For grades three through six the class would be a graded subject, and the curriculum would combine creative art projects with language exposure, geography, world literature and culture. Administrators said the intention is to introduce world-language exposure (examples named in the presentation included Spanish, French, Dutch and Mandarin) earlier in students' school careers to make secondary world-language classes more accessible and build continuity.
Implementation details remain to be developed: administrators noted some free online language platforms are usable at no district licensing cost, but art supplies and some materials would require budget allocations. The presenter said the business office will proactively include estimated startup costs in the 2025–26 preliminary budget work so the board can consider funding as part of April budget deliberations.
Board members asked about class-size effects (adding a fourth special reduces per-special class size) and whether staffing or additional advisers are required. Administrators said budget planning will address staffing and material needs and that the item will appear on next week's full-board agenda for possible approval.
If the board moves the program forward, the district intends to phase in duties and tie the staffing/cost decisions to the normal budget cycle rather than rely on one-time grants.
