WESTFORD — A centralized preschool program will remain part of the designs under consideration for the Robinson School building project following a vote by the Westford School Committee.
The committee voted Oct. 5 to continue including a centralized preschool program in all designs moving forward for the building project.
The decision does not change the way the district currently operates its preschool program. Officials clarified during the meeting that centralizing preschool is tied specifically to the proposed building project and would not automatically occur if the project does not move forward.
Westford currently has approximately 91 preschool students, according to the discussion.
District officials said the preschool program is designed first and foremost to serve special education students, which helps determine the number of sections the district operates.
Although the number of sections is expected to remain similar under a centralized model, preschool enrollment can fluctuate during the school year because the district must provide services to eligible children as they turn three.
The committee also discussed how staffing and administration could change if preschool classrooms currently located throughout the district were brought together.
Under the existing neighborhood-school model, preschool administration falls under the principal of the building where the program is located.
Officials said a centralized program could require additional support depending on the size of the eventual school. They discussed the possibility of a student support leader who could help oversee areas including early intervention connections, meetings and students’ transitions into kindergarten.
The preschool component has been included across the different enrollment and building configurations being considered for the Robinson project.
Officials referenced building options accommodating approximately 470, 705 or 1,060 students. Even the 470-student option, which would not consolidate elementary schools, includes a centralized preschool program.
The committee also addressed concerns about placing preschool students in a building with significantly older children.
Officials said the current designs place preschool classrooms in their own designated area rather than distributing them among classrooms serving older students.
Potential benefits discussed included staffing efficiencies and greater flexibility in providing services.
Before voting, committee members sought clarification about what would happen if voters ultimately do not support the Robinson building project.
The School Committee stressed that the Oct. 5 decision applies to the designs moving forward and does not alter current preschool programming or services.
The committee voted in favor of continuing to include centralized preschool in all designs for the building project.
