Preschool education will return to Scranton schools five years after the district eliminated it.
The Agency for Community Empowerment of NEPA will open a Head Start classroom at Charles Sumner Elementary School in January, with the hope of adding five more classrooms throughout the city in the fall. Scranton school directors approved agreements with the organization, along with one with the Scranton Federation of Teachers, with 8-0 votes on Monday night.
“While the program may not mirror its former structure, this step represents a significant improvement and a meaningful investment in our families,” board Vice President Danielle Chesek said before the vote.
Scranton eliminated preschool in 2020 as part of the district’s financial recovery plan. After years of borrowing money to pay bills and facing great financial challenges, the district entered the state’s recovery program in 2019. The plan called for the district to find outside partners to run preschool. Scranton exited recovery in 2023, and the state continues to monitor the district.
When Scranton eliminated preschool, the program had 404 students, and was funded with $2.3 million in federal Title I money. Community outrage followed, and kindergarten teachers now say their students start school less prepared. Advocates pushed for the program’s return, and some school directors pledged to make that happen.
Head Start preschool is federally funded and available for children ages 3 to 5. The program is offered at no cost to families, which must meet income eligibility guidelines. The district will employ a teacher and aide for each classroom, and receive reimbursement from the agency. If federal funding is no longer available, the program will end. Up to 20 children can be in each classroom.
The district estimates the total cost for six classrooms of students, including salaries, benefits and materials, will be approximately $443,471. A reimbursement of $276,420 is expected, with the remaining balance funded by the general fund.
The full-day program at Sumner, scheduled to start in January, will be for 4-year-old children.
Some board members on Monday night took time to remember the late Jim Connors, the former Scranton mayor who had once overseen the district’s preschool program. After the program’s elimination, he attended most school board meetings to advocate for its return. He died in June.
Board President Ty Holmes credited administration, including Erin Keating — who started as superintendent seven months ago — with finding a way to bring preschool back.
While it won’t look the same to start, Holmes said he is confident the program will make a difference to the children who need it.
“You’ve got to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run,” Holmes said Tuesday.
School directors on Monday also approved a $225.7 million budget without a tax increase for 2025.
