Rockport committee approves phased preschool tuition increase after debate

The Rockport School Committee voted to increase integrated preschool tuition in two stages, approving an initial $6.25 increase for the coming year and a second $6.25 increase the following year for full-time enrollment, after a presentation from the district’s director of student services.

Director of Student Services Anarie Luster described the integrated preschool, which serves children ages three to five with specially designed instruction alongside typically developing “mentor” peers. She said the program has a capacity of 15 students and presented FY25 expense estimates (teacher salaries, four paraprofessionals budgeted at approximately $120,000 total, and a supplies-and-materials budget supplemented by grant funds) and an estimated total annual program expense of about $270,075 as presented to the committee. Luster said the district currently charges a daily rate that, by regional comparison, is below the North Shore average and that a $40-per-day rate had been modeled to help close an estimated $20,000 portion of the program gap.

Committee members pressed administration on enrollment risk, mentor-to-special-education ratios (noted roughly as 8 mentors to 7 students in the program), whether tuition revenue feeds directly into the operating budget (administration clarified that preschool tuition is deposited to the special education reserve, not used to offset the district’s immediate operating costs), and options for incremental increases. Several members said they favored giving families advance notice and considered a phased approach to soften the immediate impact on households.

After discussion a committee member moved to split the larger recommended increase in half, proposing a $6.25 bump this year and $6.25 next year for full-time tuition; another committee member seconded the motion and the chair called the vote. The chair reported the motion passed with all in favor. The committee directed administration to publicize the new rate and to review tuition annually so families have notice prior to enrollment.

Implementation details (exact effective date of the new rate, per-student monthly calculations, and how many families will be affected) were not fully specified in the meeting record; administration said enrollment and screening are ongoing and the district aims to complete the process by April 1 and to publish tuition details promptly to help families plan.