Preston - A controversial plan to start full-day preschool in January will go forward after the Board of Education on Monday failed to rescind its November vote that drew criticism for launching the program mid-year and without public discussion.

Several residents spoke at the start of Monday's meeting offering mixed views on whether the school board should use $70,000 in savings from special education to open a second preschool classroom, with an anticipated enrollment of 13 to 15 students in January while also waiving second-semester tuition payments for the 11 students enrolled in the existing class on a paying basis.

The board too had mixed views, voting 3-3 on a motion to rescind the program, thus keeping the November vote in favor of expanding preschool intact.

Chairwoman Jan Clancy and board members Cindy Luty and Deborah Grabarek voted to keep the preschool expansion plan, while Vice Chairman Charles Raymond, Daniel Harris and Karen Davis voted to rescind the November vote.

School Finance Director Greg Schuyler said the $70,000 would come from a projected surplus of $200,000 this year caused mainly by lower special education costs. Six special education students projected to attend Norwich Free Academy with the town paying tuition were instead accepted at state-funded technical high schools.

Parent Stacy Comilang, who has twin 4-year-olds, looks forward to sending her children to the new program. Comilang urged the board to go forward with the program, saying there should be "no price" on education. She said her children are not enrolled in child care, and a six-month preschool program is better than none.

Other supporters said preschool is much more important now, because kindergarten is more demanding, and students need to be prepared for the more structured school environment.

But the plan drew criticism for financial reasons and policy reasons. Voters last spring rejected the original proposed school budget that contained nearly $200,000 for universal preschool and teaching assistants in the kindergarten classes. After the referendum the Board of Finance cut the school budget by $340,000, causing school officials to cancel the preschool expansion plan and the kindergarten assistants.

Resident Andy Depta urged the board to delay starting a program and put it to the voters again in the spring budget process. He also said the state is beginning to fund preschool in some cities and towns, and Preston could pursue that funding.

Resident Sean Nugent encouraged the board to rescind the vote, open public dialogue about the program and to make sure the board could implement the program while proposing no increase in next year's budget.

Superintendent John Welch projected the need for a 1 percent to 1.5 percent budget increase in the coming year with preschool included in the budget.

Andrew Bilodeau, a member of the Board of Finance, said the board should take "baby steps" when expanding preschool, perhaps starting with an expanded tuition-based program. Because preschool is not a state mandate, Bilodeau said a means-based program would be suitable. The one existing preschool class is a combination of state-mandated free preschool for special education students combined with tuition-based slots for regular education students to fill the classroom.

School board member Harris objected to comments and perceived threats he has heard during the past month that the Board of Finance would cut any proposed school budget increase in response to the board's plan to start preschool mid-year.

Harris said it's a wrong assumption that the board's original budget was shot down because of preschool. He said anytime there's a school budget increase, it gets rejected. He said it was inappropriate for other town boards to be making statements demanding a no-increase school budget next year.

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