WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A planned tuition increase for preschool families at Silver Hills Elementary will not take effect this school year. Granite School District says they found additional funding to cover the cost.
A parent reached out to FOX 13 News after learning the tuition could increase from $20 or $40 a month to as much as $200.
The district says families who already registered will keep their previously quoted tuition rate this school year, but the loss of Title I funding could lead to higher costs in the future.
“We were notified 16 whole business days before school starts,” Michelle Centers said. "That’s a wild notice to try to pivot for any family who maybe couldn’t afford it. I was worried about how we were going to stretch our finances.”
Preschool Services initially told families Silver Hills would no longer be a limited-admission preschool site. Without the federal funding tied to that designation, tuition would have increased to $200 a month for 4-year-olds and $150 for 3-year-olds.
The district later said it found an additional funding source and reworked its budget to avoid the tuition increase this school year. The district says it is exploring short-term solutions for parents who didn’t already register for preschool this school year.
“Of course, I feel relief for my immediate household,” Centers said. “$160 is a big chunk for anyone right now. It’s a lot of relief.”
Kellie Andrade, who has lived near Silver Hills Elementary in West Valley City for 20 years, said her son attends the school. "In my opinion, $150-200 per child is outrageous especially with the prices of gas, food, clothes for your children, backpacks,” Andrade said. “I think some families are going to actually end up staying home or keeping their kids home versus getting the education that they so desperately need.”
Centers said the tuition decision will not have a major impact on her family because this is her youngest child’s last year of preschool.
“While it doesn’t impact me directly, it impacts this neighborhood. I’ve got, you know, neighbors with kids who aren’t in preschool, yet who moved to this community expecting that Title 1 funding,” Centers said.
