WOODSTOCK — After a failed search for a new lead teacher, Woodstock Nursery School will suspend operations at least until January.
The suspension in operations comes following the June resignation of Wendy Krygier, who had been the school’s lead teacher for nearly five years.
The board has been unable to fill the position between Krygier’s resignation in June and the scheduled beginning of the new school year on Aug. 27.
“The turnaround was super difficult,” said Nicola Auriema, who has been a board member since December.
After Krygier’s resignation, the board told parents that the preschool could not guarantee reopening in the fall.
Without at least one fully licensed teacher, the school wouldn’t qualify for child care subsidies.
Subsidies are provided through the Universal Prekindergarten Education Act, or Vermont Act 166, which provides families with 10 free hours per week of preschool education for 35 weeks.
Eligible families are also subsidized through the Child Care Financial Assistance Program, which supports childcare costs for families with incomes at 575% of current federal poverty guidelines and below.
Of the 10 families that were enrolled for this fall, five had expressed they would wait for a new teacher to be found.
In early August, the preschool’s board of directors began notifying enrolled and prospective parents about the failure to open for the 2025-26 school year.
The largest impediments of the search for a new lead teacher have been salary issues, a shortage of licensed candidates and the position being overly demanding.
“It’s difficult to offer a competitive salary, especially where we are in Woodstock, a salary that will cover living expenses for the teacher,” Auriema said. “So I think that one of the most difficult things is just our tight financial constraints.”
The job posting for lead teacher describes the full-time position as “responsible for leading the school and other staff, developing an engaging curriculum, assessment of students’ learning, creating a stimulating holistic classroom environment, all enrollment processes and all communication with families.”
The post does not include salary information.
There have been about three people recruited for the position so far, but they have had other roles lined up or haven’t been fully licensed, which the Nursery School needs in order to qualify for the child care subsidy.
Another issue has been the demands of the job, which combines teaching with the fundraising duties of a director.
“We’re planning to split the role going forward,” Auriema said. “It’s just too much to be fundraising and teaching at the same time.”
The board is currently searching only for a lead teacher so they can start the program, but a director position will later be recruited as well, Auriema said.
Located on the first floor of the Little Theater, owned by the Woodstock Recreation Center, Woodstock Nursery School is the town’s longest-standing preschool, operating since 1951, according to its website.
According to the preschool’s 990 tax form for the 2023 fiscal year ending in August, it had a revenue of nearly $187,000 and expenses over $163,484. Giving the school a profit margin of just under $23,500.
Auriema declined to provide more recent financial information.
Woodstock Nursery School has experienced a number of financial struggles in the past couple of years.
In 2023, a flood pushed back the Nursery School’s opening, causing enrollment to drop below full, which put financial strain on the school.
The preschool has additionally competed with other schools such as Woodstock Elementary School, which last summer amounted in Woodstock Nursery School losing five of 10 enrolled students to the public school.
Going into this school year, there was a full enrollment of 10 students, but after Krygier resigned, five dropped off the list.
“We’re running with a very small margin now with the lower enrollment,” Auriema said.
The Nursery School needs full enrollment to pay for lead and assistant teachers, Auriema said. Revenue is split between families’ payments, subsidies, grants and donations.
For five days a week, including mornings and aftercare, families pay $1,175 per month after Act 166 funding.
Increasing tuition is not the solution, as it would quickly become unaffordable. “It’s a delicate balance,” Auriema said.
The preschool’s board continues to search for a replacement for Krygier. The board is aiming to fill the position and reopen by the winter.
“I would say we’re hoping for January,” said Auriema. “That would be really great, but I think the most realistic goal is for the next school year.”
