The Abridged version:
- Edward Kelley Preschool in Rosemont is set to close, as the Sacramento City Unified School District weighs millions of dollars in budget cuts.
- Parent participation preschool, where parents volunteer in the classroom, occurs on two campuses. A district spokesperson said the cost deficit for Edward Kelley’s program is higher than its counterpart at Tahoe Elementary.
- The school district has hoped to keep the district’s budget cuts as far from students as possible, but parents and experts have cast doubt on that likelihood. Families have petitioned the district for more time, and the preschool’s only staff teacher has offered to forgo some of her compensation.
Edward Kelley Preschool, one of two sites in the Sacramento Unified School District where parents get directly involved in the education and care of their young children, is set to close.
Its demise would end more than a century and a half of operations at the historic schoolhouse that houses the program in Rosemont.
“It used to be referred to as the crown jewel of the district at one point,” said Amanda Chapman, the preschool’s only teacher on staff. “But sadly, it’s been forgotten about.”
In parent participation preschool, parents of toddlers and children volunteer in the classroom, help plan and run day-to-day activities. Many adults come away with their own education in parenting skills, Chapman said.
However, due to program enrollment concerns and a multimillion-dollar budget crisis at Sacramento City Unified, Edward Kelley faces the chopping block. Parents of current preschoolers say the possibility leaves them in the lurch and would deprive future families the same opportunity.
“The parents who come through this program are the parents who end up being involved in PTOs and PTAs and going on field trips,” said Alison Alexander, mom of three. “Schools do not function without those parents.”
Budget cuts hit
Sacramento City Unified leaders have spent months looking for more than $100 million worth of budget cuts.
Since the district’s fiscal crisis first became apparent last fall, staff and school board members vowed to keep the impacts as far from students as possible. But parents and experts have cast doubt on that likelihood, given the depth of cuts needed and the very nature of a public school system.
All parent-participation preschool classes were on the original elimination list, as of mid-November when staff first proposed a fiscal recovery plan to trustees. Two campuses — Edward Kelley and Tahoe Elementary School — offer the fee-based program.
However, when board members approved that plan in their Nov. 20 meeting, they decided to cut Edward Kelly and retain Tahoe.
Preschool has high cost deficit
The district’s stabilization plan has changed several times since November, amid staff turnover and leadership turmoil. But the elimination of Edward Kelley Preschool has stuck through each round of revisions.
Parent participation preschool is meant to be a self-sustaining program, dependent on tuition revenue, said Al Goldberg, a spokesperson for Sacramento City Unified. Declining enrollment, exacerbated by the expansion of transitional kindergarten, means both campuses are falling short, he said.
There are 15 students at Edward Kelley, which offers one morning class, Monday through Friday. At Tahoe, there are 14 preschoolers in the five-day course, nine kids in a four-day program and nine toddlers in a Friday-only class for 2-year-olds.
Both campuses combined cost Sacramento City Unified about $345,000 annually, according to Goldberg. They bring in about $117,000 per year in tuition, leaving a $228,000 gap the district says it no longer can fill.
Between the two sites, Edward Kelley represents the larger deficit.
Goldberg said the Rosemont campus costs about $144,000 to run (including administrative costs like custodian overtime) and recoups around $45,000.
Tahoe Elementary, he said, costs $121,000 and earns closer to $72,000.
Parents plead for a chance
School board members Tara Jeane, April Ybarra and Jose Navarro met with Edward Kelley parents Tuesday evening.
The discussion lasted almost two hours but reached no definite conclusions, according to Alexander, whose 3-year-old daughter is currently enrolled at the preschool.
“It was basically like, ‘No promises,'” she said.
A Change.org petition started by Alexander has more than 1,200 signatures. She said she’s confident families and community members would be willing to raise funds in support of Edward Kelley.
“Just give us a chance,” Alexander said.
Historic site’s future unknown
The potential elimination of Edward Kelley — a rare affordable option in the world of childcare — means Alexander has been scrambling to find an alternative for her daughter next year.
But besides the impact to families like hers, one of Alexander’s biggest frustrations, she said, is what closure would mean for the physical building and site.
“They’re not closing a program; they’re closing an entire school,” she said. “And they’re closing a whole bunch of history.”
Built in the mid-19th century and originally called the Brighton School, Edward Kelley has been on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for decades. It is the oldest, continually operating school in Sacramento County.
Goldberg said the district has not made any decisions yet about what would happen to the building if the preschool program ends.
‘Whatever I can’
Chapman, who has been with the district for 24 years and at Edward Kelley for 11, is among the almost 800 district employees who received a layoff warning last month. Final notices will go out in May.
To keep expenses at a minimum, Chapman said she and some parents pay out of pocket for classroom materials, like paper and crayons. The preschool teacher has also not taken a day off this school year, avoiding the cost of a substitute.
And she has offered to waive the health benefits she receives and her family members rely on.
“I’ll do whatever I can to keep Edward Kelley going,” Chapman said. “But there are a lot of uncertainties.”
Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.