If Burlington closes a school, would it have room for universal Pre-K?

This past year, the Vermont state legislature held hearings on the possibility of the state funding universal pre-K education in the public schools. It is widely accepted that pre-K education is one of the most effective ways to improve academic performance for children from low-income families.

As the chart below shows, if universal pre-K were instituted, Burlington's current elementary schools would be just at capacity. If schools are closed and buildings are sold, we would not.

Elementary	Capacity	2006	pre-k	total with pre-k
Barnes	180	149	25	174	under by 6
Champlain	320	294	49	343	over by 23
Edmunds	340	287	48	335	under by 5
Flynn	360	331	55	386	over by 16
Smith	320	279	47	326	over by 6
Wheeler	320	228	38	266	under by 54