The Abridged version:
- Edward Kelley Preschool will stay open beyond this school year, after Sacramento City Unified School District leaders decided to reverse course.
- District officials had identified the preschool for closure, as they continue to grapple with a multimillion-dollar budget crisis.
- The school’s only teacher on staff has volunteered to forego her benefits. That, along with increased fees for parents, is expected to be enough to continue operations.
Edward Kelley Preschool will stay open another year, a major win for parents who had decried the closure of their historic Rosemont campus.
The Sacramento City Unified School District had targeted Edward Kelley — one of two sites for the parent participation preschool program — for closure amid a multimillion-dollar budget crisis.
Parents and the school’s only teacher on staff, Amanda Chapman, said the decision would deprive families of a rare, affordable childcare option. And, they said, it would put a tragic end to more than 150 years of operations at the schoolhouse.
But the district reversed course, a change parents say they learned about on Thursday, shortly before the evening’s school board meeting.
“Tonight, more than anything, we want to express our appreciation,” Chapman said in comments to the board. “Appreciation for our community’s advocacy.”
Cost deficits blamed for closure plan
Edward Kelley has 15 preschoolers enrolled in a Monday-through-Friday morning class. The program, in which parents volunteer in the classroom alongside Chapman, is meant to be self-sustaining with tuition fees.
However, the campus had been costing about $144,000 to run and recouping around $45,000, according to district spokesperson Al Goldberg.
But district officials took Chapman up on her offer to forego her health benefits. That savings, combined with an increase in monthly fees for parents from $301 to $500, is expected to keep the program afloat.
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.