SLEEPY EYE — Sleepy Eye Public Schools Superintendent John Cselovszki informed the board Wednesday of pre-school funding changes beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

“Due to Minnesota law changes in program eligibility requirements, only certain groups will qualify for free voluntary pre-school enrollment beginning with the 2025-26 school year (fiscal year 2026),” said Cselovszki

“It’s disappointing. It will eliminate some people. I think it’s wrong. We will research it in committees and bring it back to the board,” he said.

“I am working on a parent notification letter about the changes. I’m also looking at a sliding fee scale that we have to charge families that do not qualify for free enrollment,” said Cselovszki.

In the past few years, Sleepy Eye Public School did not charge pre-school program fees.

Voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) and school readiness plus (SRP) are publicly-funded prekindergarten programs that support children and their families for success in kindergarten and beyond.

Minnesota law changes approved in the 2024 legislative session include ending the SRP program as of June 30, 2025. VPK and SRP program requirements have been aligned under a single VPK program with new eligibility requirements.

Eligible children must be four years old as of Sept. 1 in the calendar year in which the school year begins; and must meet one of the following criteria:

Qualifies for free or reduced price meals, is an English language learner, is American Indian, has experienced homelessness in the last 24 months, was identified as having a potential risk factor that may influence learning through health and developmental screening, is in foster or kinship care, including children receiving Northstar kinship care assistance or is in need of child protection services, has a parent who is a migrant or seasonal agricultural laborer, has an incarcerated parent or is defined as at-risk by the school district.

According to the funding change, a school district or charter school must adopt a sliding-fee schedule based on family income and must waive a fee for a participant unable to pay.