San Angelo ISD Provides Updates Regarding Pre-Kindergarten and Transitional Bilingual Program

During the March San Angelo ISD Board of Trustees Regular Meeting, Dr. Farrah Gomez, Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer, provided an academic update on the district's Pre-Kindergarten and Transitional Bilingual program. Starting in the 2023-2024 school year, San Angelo ISD will expand our free, eligibility-based Pre-K program to include a tuition-based program. Additionally, Dr. Gomez provided updates on campus locations for Pre-Kindergarten, the Transitional Bilingual Program and Early Childhood Special Education. 

Eligibility-Based Pre-Kindergarten 

SAISD will continue to offer a full-day Pre-K Program that is open and free to children who meet one of the following eligibility requirements: 

• military eligibility, 
• unable to speak and comprehend the English language,
• federal income guidelines,
• homelessness, 
• foster child,
• is or has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family & Protective Services following an adversary hearing held as provided by Section 262.201 of the Texas Family Code, or
• Child has a parent who is eligible for the Star of Texas Award which honors Texas peace officers, firefighters, emergency medical first responders, and federal law enforcement officers who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty. 

Tuition-Based Pre-Kindergarten 

For families who do not meet the eligibility requirements for free Pre-K, San Angelo ISD will begin offering a full-day, tuition-based Pre-K in the 2023-2024 school year. San Angelo ISD families living within the district attendance zone and SAISD employees are eligible to enroll in the tuition-based Pre-K program through online enrollment for new students and are placed through a lottery system based on capacity in the program. The tuition for the Pre-K program is $450/month per student for the general public and $360/month per student for SAISD employees for each of the ten months of the school year regardless of the number of days in the month.

Upon notification of an available lottery spot, a non-refundable registration fee of $50.00 will be due by Friday, May 12, 2023. Failure to pay the registration fee by May 12, 2023 could result in the loss of your child's Pre-K spot. The first month’s tuition payment is due by Friday, May 26, 2023.

Pre-K is available for children 4 years old on or before September 1, 2022. In the 2023-2024 school year, San Angelo ISD Pre-K will move from eight campuses to four campuses and will be housed at Belaire Elementary, Glenmore Elementary, Goliad Elementary, and San Jacinto Elementary. For more information on the Pre-K program including feeder patterns, visit our website at www.saisd.org/prek or call 325-947-3838. 

Transitional Bilingual Program

We also offer a unique program for qualifying bilingual Spanish-speaking students starting in Pre-K where children receive instruction in the student’s first language to become proficient in listening, speaking, reading and writing in both English and Spanish. Starting in the 2023-2024 school year, the bilingual program will be housed exclusively at Bradford Elementary and expand to include Pre-K through 3rd grade. 

For more information on our Transitional Bilingual Program, visit our website at www.saisd.org/bilingual or contact the SAISD Director of Emergent Bilingual, Christy Diego (habla español) by email to christy.diego@saisd.org or by phone at 325-947-3838 ext. 798. 

Enrollment for both the eligibility-based and tuition-based Pre-K programs as well as the Bilingual program will be included in the annual registration process beginning Monday, April 3. 

We look forward to providing your child with an inspiring education which cultivates their individual hopes and dreams. Follow the San Angelo ISD Facebook, Twitter, and website, www.saisd.org, for related updates and to stay up-to-date on San Angelo ISD.