Charles City board pauses TK next year after low enrollment despite parent appeals

A parent and resident teacher coach urged the Charles City Community School District board to keep its transitional kindergarten program, but administrators told the board they will not run TK next year because only four families chose to enroll.

Bridal Bjorklund, a resident teacher coach, told the board she supports continuing TK and that neighboring districts are expanding or discussing similar programs. “When we moved to Charles City 2 years ago, TK was a big, big positive, big draw for us,” Bjorklund said, adding that TK can support social, emotional and academic development and may reduce later special‑education needs.

Administrator Jen reported staff developed a rubric this year and performed outreach. Jen said the team initially identified about 10–12 possible TK candidates but, after parent conferences and direct contact, only four families opted into the program for 2024–25. “With four families, we couldn’t financially sustain a teacher for four students,” Jen said, and administrators plan to place those children in kindergarten classrooms and re‑evaluate the program for 2025–26.

Jen described the rubric as including birthdate, GOLD and FAST‑style assessments, attendance and teacher/parent input; she said the district will repeat the evaluation process next year and can consider retention decisions at the end of kindergarten. Board members asked about alternatives for families, outreach and whether TK produced academic gains. Jen and other trustees said the strongest documented TK benefits were social and emotional development, with mixed academic results depending on the child and supports at home.

Board members encouraged continued outreach and promotion of preschool and TK opportunities, and asked staff to report back on updated enrollment and rubric results. The board did not take a formal vote on the TK program during the meeting; administrators said they will revisit options for 2025–26.

Next steps: staff will continue family outreach, repeat the candidate identification process for the 2025–26 school year and report findings to the board.