Early Education and Elementary Schools

**Preliminary**

Brookline educates its children in PreK-8 elementary schools to promote a strong community between older and younger students, reduce school transitions, support middle school students with relationships developed over time, develop strong relationships with families that have students in a school for a longer period of time, and provide a wide variety of curriculum offerings across many grade levels. The Town and the school community continue their unwavering support of PK-8 elementary schools model.


The Elementary organization previously encompassed the salaries for instructional staff (teachers and aides) at the elementary school level and program staff and funding for professional development, instructional supplies and equipment for eight elementary schools. The Massachusetts DESE requires that all program expenses be broken down by school. To that end, instructional staff salaries have now been moved into building-based accounts.


“Each school district shall utilize a financial accounting system that permits the reporting of all school district expenditures by fund source, object, and

function, and permits the reporting of certain costs by program and school. The fund source, object, function, program and school classifications for which

reporting shall be required shall be those identified and described with specificity in guidelines published by the Department” [603 CMR 10.003a]

Personnel

• Teachers are now charged to building-based accounts. The only expenses here are for the operating budget subsidy for summer programs and for eight dual-

certification intern first grade paraprofessionals.