SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) — The Springfield Board of Education has approved a school department budget that invests funds in schools and creates a way to expand preschool classes to all elementary schools in the district.
According to the press release sent to 22News by Springfield Public Schools, in addition to guaranteeing preschool classes in every elementary school, the preschool expansion includes the development of a new preschool-only school at 111 Seymour Avenue, which currently houses the administration. of the Springfield Virtual School.
The Warwick Superintendent of Schools said the newly passed budget continues to prioritize social-emotional work and counseling services for all pupils, including extending the reach of City Connects to all schools. City Connect programming addresses social/emotional and other non-academic needs by connecting students and even their families to resources designed to meet their specific needs.
“This is a monumental development for our community and something we have been working on for years,” Superintendent Warwick said, “Having the ability to provide a pre-school foundation for our students before they start the kindergarten will greatly influence their preparation and really help set our youngest students up for academic success early on.”
The overall budget is $545.3 million for fiscal year 2023 (FY23). It comes into effect on July 1.