Due to reductions in state funding, tuition is being implemented for Transitional Kindergarten enrollment for the 2026-27 school year.
According to HHES Principal Meredith Gannon:
As you may have read in Superintendent Marshall’s recent email to families, the state significantly cut school funding for TK across Washington. In Hockinson School District, TK funding has been reduced by approximately 60%.
Based on five years of learning data and observed social growth, we know that TK is an effective and important program that prepares students for success in kindergarten. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working on ways to ensure that as many students as possible can continue to benefit from participating in our TK program.
At its April 27 meeting, the HSD School Board authorized a plan to reduce the TK program to 2.5 tuition-based sections for the 2026-27 school year. This means that we will be able to offer up to two full day classes and one half day class in TK. Tuition will be $2,000/year for full-day TK and $1,000/year for half-day TK. Families who qualify for free or reduced lunch benefit and students being served by an academic IEP will be able to attend free of charge, in alignment with state guidelines. Tuition will be charged on a semester or quarterly basis; no other payment schedules will be available.
While moving to a tuition-based program was a difficult decision, it will allow us to continue staffing the program with highly qualified teachers and support staff, and help cover the supplies needed to support a successful program.
In the coming days we will reach out to [TK parents with an online enrollment form] to ask about your TK preferences for the coming year. Spaces in the TK program will be filled using information gathered in the TK screening process. Students with the highest level of need will be placed first and we will continue to add students to our classes until all spaces are filled. We will maintain a waiting list if there are additional students who are not enrolled initially through this process.
We thank you for your interest in and support of Transitional Kindergarten.
Sincerely,
Meredith Gannon
Principal
Hockinson Heights Elementary School