Huntsville City Schools PreKindergarten Tuition Proposal 2019 2020

Huntsville City Schools Pre-Kindergarten Tuition Proposal 2019 – 2020 School Term Helen Scott & Anthony Davison School Readiness Department March 26, 2019

HCS Pre. K Funding Concerns • Unlike almost every other district in Alabama, HCS charges no tuition. • While the State of Alabama provides some funding through the Office of School Readiness, HCS spends approximately $3. 3 million on its 40 Pre-K classrooms every year. • Given the budget constraints, paying that amount is no longer feasible. • In fact, if the District does not make the changes in this proposal, it would need to make substantial cuts to its Pre. K classes. 2

HCS Pre. K Funding Solutions • HCS administrators have been working with the Office of School Readiness (“OSR”) and the Alabama State Department of Education (“ALSDE”) to develop a solution. • Proposed Solution: • Fund all Title I school Pre-K programs using mostly Title I money. • Use the sliding tuition scale from the Office of School Readiness for students attending all non-Title I schools. • More details on the following slides. 3

Proposal Details (Title I Schools) • HCS has 11 Title I elementary schools with Pre-K programs. • These 11 schools operate 19 Pre-K classrooms. • Under this proposal: • All students at Title I schools would be eligible for free Pre. K services. • Title I money would cover the cost of the teaching units in each Title I Pre-K classroom, a savings of approximately $939, 709 per year. 4

Proposal Details (Non-Title I Schools) • HCS has 15 Non-Title I schools with Pre-K programs. • These 15 schools operate 20 Pre-K classrooms. • Under this proposal: • Students at Non-Title I schools would be eligible for Pre-K services but would be required to pay tuition based on the OSR tuition sliding scale. • In the past, HCS has applied for and received a number of OSR grants to help cover the cost of Pre-K classrooms, and this would continue. • The tuition received would supplement the money from OSR grants. 5

OSR Tuition Sliding Scale • Using the OSR sliding scale tuition guidelines. 6

Proposal Details (Non-Title I Schools) • Payment of Pre-K fees will be done on the “My School Fees”. • For more information, please visit https: //secure 3. myschoolfees. com/start_v 2. aspx. 7

Summary • Under this new proposal, HCS should save approximately $1, 000 per year. • Additionally, HCS will be able to retain most, if not all, of its current Pre-K classrooms. 8