Monomoy Integrated Preschool Program To Remain In Harwich

 HARWICH – Monomoy Regional School District officials said this week that there are no plans to move the integrated preschool program to Chatham from Harwich Elementary School, a possibility that had a number of parents upset.

 A Dec. 6 email from district Student Services and Special Education Director Melissa Maguire indicated that the program was being moved to Chatham. But Superintendent Scott Carpenter said this week that Maguire’s email was meant to start a discussion with families and staff and that a final decision was up to the school committee, which ultimately decided that the program would remain in Harwich.

 The email sparked considerable confusion, however.

 Saying he was speaking for “dozens” of parents, Chris Robert said at the March 24 select board meeting that the “highly esteemed” program was a “gem” that was being mismanaged. Misinformation and confusion about the status of the program was concerning to parents, he said. 

“If you are a Harwich taxpayer and you have children, they should be in the Harwich school system,” said Todd Telesmanick. “They shouldn’t be shipped over to Chatham. I understand that we’re regionalized. We have a great thing going in Harwich right now, and it doesn’t need to be changed.” 

Maguire’s email read in part, “After careful review of the number of preschool children attending our program, available resources and space, and determining how we can best serve our preschool children, we will be moving all our preschool classrooms to Chatham.”

 The integrated preschool program in Harwich, required by the state, combines students with learning and other disabilities with peers without disabilities. If there are seven students with disabilities, up to eight peers can be added to reach a classroom capacity of 15, he said.

“The district provides early intervention for preschool children who have a significant need and if they don’t get it, will fall behind their peers in kindergarten,” said Carpenter.

Next year there will be one fewer section in the preschool program, Carpenter said, because the projected number of students with disabilities for the coming year is set to drop to 13. That number has been challenged, however, as enrollment in the past five years has ranged from 24 to 36 disabled students. Ryan Edwards, a candidate for a Harwich seat on the school committee, pointed out the average over the past decade is 28 students per year. Carpenter said a better sense of the number will come later in the year, and the program is preparing for up to 21 students with disabilities.  

 Parents may be feeling some angst because with the lower number of students with disabilities, there will be fewer peers allowed to participate in the program based on the state ratio of one-to-one, Carpenter said. It is likely there will be more peer requests than slots available.

  The reduction in integrated pre-school sections at the Harwich Elementary School will also come with 1.5 reductions in staff. Carpenter said he does not anticipate anyone losing their job and that they will likely be shifted to another position. 

When asked if there are any future plans to move the Harwich integrated preschool program to Chatham, Carpenter said, “The parents have spoken for now. I don’t see us considering moving those programs in the future.” 

There are some changes in store for the preschool program, Carpenter said, which are driven by the declining enrollment of 3- and 4-year-olds. The number of half-day classes will be reduced from four to three sections. In Chatham, a “Pups” pre-kindergarden program, free to Chatham and Harwich families, will get underway in September providing a full-day program through the school year, including transportation, multilingual support and meals. It will be capped at 20 students. Carpenter said he anticipates there will be more than 20 applications, and a lottery system will be employed to select participants. The program seeks to support families who are working full-time and have not accessed preschool programs elsewhere, he said.   

 “We’re not trying to shut down options,” Carpenter said. “We’re trying to expand options.”

 The YMCA of Cape Cod uses three classrooms and an office at Harwich Elementary School to provide preschool services for children three months to 5 years old. Carpenter said 30 children are on a waiting list.