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Resident warns Select Board of PreK cost pressures tied to LD345
Summary
Karen Gallagher told the Hope Select Board that LD345 requires universal 3- and 4-year-old public schooling by 2028; she said Hope may be asked to implement PreK in Fall 2026 and warned state funding won't cover local costs until 2028, shifting expenses to taxpayers for two years.
Karen Gallagher used the public comment period to alert the Select Board that recently passed legislation, LD345, will require schooling for 3- and 4-year-olds to be fully enacted by 2028. She said the Superintendent and School Committee want Hope to be an early implementer in Fall 2026 and cautioned the town that state subsidies will not be available until 2028.
"I wanted to give the Select Board a 'heads up' regarding the potential increase to the PreK budget for the FY26 school year," Gallagher said during public comment. She emphasized that if Hope proceeds early, "the full cost burden will fall on the taxpayers for the next two years."
The comment was presented as an advisory for the Select Board and budget planners; no board action was taken during the meeting. Board members noted the item should be considered during the upcoming budget season and received a recommendation to review LD345 and School Committee planning prior to finalizing town budget proposals.
