Uncertain future for San Leandro preschool

Parents and teachers of Broadmoor Preschool in San Leandro recently learned that discussions were previously held that involved moving the school from the location after three decades.

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. - Parents and teachers of Broadmoor Preschool in San Leandro recently learned that discussions were previously held that involved moving the school from the location after three decades.

“They will quote-unquote relocate us from our space, move us into a single room at the adult school, which is not a comparable facility, it does not fulfill our needs,” said parent Gloria Strohm.

San Leandro Unified School District said it discussed the possibility with the school’s previous administration, who has since retired.

“With a change of leadership, there is always the potential for misunderstandings, and SLUSD would like to apologize for any undue concern or miscommunications that may have come from discussions regarding the future of Broadmoor Preschool,” read part of a statement that the San Leandro Unified School District released on Monday.

While the discussions were had with those who previously ran the school, parents told KTVU that they had only recently learned about them, which promoted them to express their concern to district leaders, which promoted the district to take a step back on talks of a possible move.

“Given the understandable concern over decisions that have been made regarding the location of the Broadmoor Preschool program, the San Leandro Unified School District will be reopening collaborative discussions with the current Broadmoor Preschool board to draft a new agreement that is mutually amenable to all stakeholders,” said a statement from the district.

Broadmoor Preschool, a cooperative subsidized by the school district, has been renting its current location in a building at Roosevelt Elementary School for $350 a month.

Each school year, it accepts 50 children into the program, a size for which parents say amounts to a perfect for the location.

Previous discussions involved moving Broadmoor Preschool to San Leandro Adult School, located about two miles away.

“Here we have our rooms, we have our bathrooms connected. You’ve got two, three and four years old that use this space, said Strohm when comparing both the current and proposed location.

“I have one child attending right now,” said parent, Vanessa Lee. “And my older daughter attended and I really want to have my son who is currently almost 2 to attend as well.”

Parents had feared that the closure of the school would take place after the current school year, but the district said the school will remain open while discussion over its future resume with the current administration.

“While the Broadmoor program is a high-quality parent cooperative preschool and plays an important role in the early childhood education for students who are able to enroll in the program, there are significant limitations for San Leandro students and families under the current operating model that should be addressed,” according to the San Leandro Unified School District statement.

The district said discussions are ongoing and that no date has been set for a decision on the future of Broadmoor Preschool.