Bayless Preschool to Scale Back But Likely Survive

Despite rumors circulating through the district this week, the Bayless School Board said they would likely keep the district's preschool program for next school year, though with fewer students and a different pay scale. However the issue has been tabled until more information about the costs of the program could be gathered.

Concerned parents and teachers crowded Wednesday evening's school board meeting after discussions in one of the district's budget reduction committees led some to worry that the board was on the verge of axing the program.

"Cutting the preschool would be a huge disservice to the community," said Crisi Ly, one of Bayless's preschool teachers.

Four Bayless mothers also addressed the board, throwing their support behind the preschool and Ly.

"That woman right there is the reason I stayed in the district," one said, indicating Ly.

But none on the board seemed eager to do away with the program, despite the district's crippling budget difficulties. Instead they heard a presentation from outgoing principal Gina Siebe who proposed plans to reduce the size of the preschool and increase the sliding fee scale for those families unable to afford the full $140/week tuition.

One plan would cut the program to two classrooms and, by Siebe's estimates, reduce the amount the district would have subsidize the program to $20,000. The second plan would cut the program down to a single classroom and would actually generate $77,000 revenue for the district. However school board president Jeff Preisack said he believed these estimates were overly optimistic.

After the presentation the board decided to table the issue until the next meeting, pending better numbers of how much the preschool was currently costing the district—numbers Siebe said were difficult but not impossible to calculate.

"I'm confident the board will find a way to continue the preschool, whether it's one classroom or two," Siebe said, who added that she was not surprised the issue was tabled.

Incoming superintedent Ron Tucker said he recommends the fiscally conservative one classroom plan for now.

In recent years the preschool program has been funded partly by the Missouri Preschool Project grant—a grant which is shrinking and likely to disappear over the next couple years. Bayless expects an estimated $55,250 in grant funding for its preschool next year.

Despite the recent passage of the district's , Bayless is in the short term and . Tucker and Preisack stressed that while they valued the preschool program, they had to weigh it against preserving teacher jobs elsewhere in the district.

Currently the preschool program serves approximately 60 students.