PITTSBORO -- Parents of children attending preschool through Chatham County Schools should prepare for a price increase.
Tuition for the program will rise by an average of $525 per year starting in the 2019-2020 school year. District officials say they are meeting the state market rate for the services.
The Chatham County Board of Education approved the change Dec. 17.
According to Monday’s agenda, the fee for the district’s Pre-K program has not increased since 2015. But increases in teacher salaries, food expenditures and the cost of supplies have forced the program’s administrators to seek the fee adjustment.
Carrie Little, the school district’s executive director of federal programs and school improvement, said the county has to reduce money for supplies this year by $40 a student due to a lack of funds.
Currently, the cost per student at one of the seven locations where the program is offered — North Chatham Elementary, Perry Harrison School, Siler City Elementary, Virginia Cross Elementary, Moncure School, Bennett School and Pittsbro Elementary — is $6,000 a year, based on a $575/month tuition and $250 deposit.
Pittsboro, North Chatham and Perry Harrison also offer after-care for an additional $135 per month, leading to a total cost of $7,350.
The increase will put non-after-care costs at $6,450 per year and tuition with after-care at $7,950 per year.
There are also 11 facilities that operate the N.C. Pre-K program — a state-funded and free preschool initiative designed for lower-income families — including the seven elementary schools and four private preschools.