Citing the need to increase funding due to the end of a grant, the Shelbyville Central Schools board agreed Wednesday to an increase fee to attend the Golden Bear Preschool during the 2024-2025 school year.
The five full-day monthly fee will increase from $360 to $400 while the five half-day monthly fees will increase from $150 to $170.
The three full day monthly fee will rise from $220 to $250; the three half-day monthly fee will increase to $105 from $90.
And the two full-day monthly fee rises from $150 to $170 and the two half-day monthly fees goes up to $70 from $60.
“With our grant going away, it’s been a major source of funding for our preschool program which is an outstanding program that we want to keep going, the recommendation from myself and Mrs. Nigh (Golden Bear Preschool Principal Lora Nigh) is to increase … we want to try and keep fees as low as we can across the board … we do see a sense that we need to do an increase now,” said SCS Superintendent Dr. Matt Vance.
Vance stated there was not a fee increase prior to the 2023-2024 school year and has not been a fee increase in at least a couple years.
For the second year in a row, the Golden Bear Preschool will start the school year one day later than the rest of the schools in the school system. The one-day delay this past August allowed Golden Bear Preschool staff the opportunity to provide transitional support to students starting kindergarten at the elementary schools.
“In the evaluation of doing that we found from both sides, the preschool staff thought it was beneficial and the school staff really loved it,” said Vance. “And we heard some positive comments from the parents on this too.”
The 2024-2025 schedule will begin with a Meet the Teacher day on Aug. 6 from 2 to 5 p.m. The Golden Bear Preschool staff will assist the elementary schools on their first day on Aug. 7.
Full-day classrooms at the Golden Bear Preschool, 1115 E. State Road 44, will begin Aug. 8. Golden Bear Preschool half-day staff will continue to support the elementary schools on Aug. 8 and Aug. 9.
All full-day and half-day classrooms will be open on Aug. 12.
Wednesday’s meeting was the final school board meeting of 2023. The first meeting of 2024 will be on Jan. 10.
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