Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. will add a pre-K class at Lillian C. Schmitt Elementary School.
The class will be able to serve an additional 20 students, which will bring the total number of BCSC pre-K students up from 220 to 240, said Gina Pleak, director of title services.
“We want to look to expand one classroom every year,” Pleak said. “If we can do so, we want to expand by 20 students every year. And so when we looked last fall, where to expand to next, it was easily determined that we would want to expand to Schmitt, because they have the classroom space, the availability, and they’re also a Title I school.”
According to the U.S. Department of Education, federal Title I funding “provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.”
Pleak said that the new pre-K class will be funded through Title I funds and also through parent fees. All of BCSC’s pre-K programs have the same cost of $160 a week (for five days a week that begin and end at the same time as the regular school day). Pleak also said that there are modified rates available that are based on need.
The next steps in getting the program ready are hiring staff and enrolling students so that they can hopefully reach the goal of 20 students by the first day of school, which is currently scheduled to be Aug. 6, Pleak said.
The new class is the only pre-K class at Schmitt Elementary. BCSC has 12 pre-K classrooms in total. There are classrooms at Busy Bees Academy, Clifty Creek Elementary, Columbus Signature Academy Fodrea, Parkside Elementary, Southside Elementary and Taylorsville Elementary.
“We’re excited for every opportunity we can expand,” Pleak said. “And we want to make sure, as we expand, that it is something that we can sustain in the future. So that’s why we’re looking at expanding slowly to see what we can do.”
