Saline Preschool Demand Pushes District Toward New Early Childhood Center

Saline Area Schools has more families seeking free preschool seats than it currently has room for, and district leaders say early childhood programs at Liberty School have outgrown their space.

Now the district is moving toward a possible solution: purchasing a 50,266-square-foot building on Hines Drive in Ann Arbor to create a dedicated early childhood center.

Following a closed session Tuesday, May 12, the Saline Board of Education voted unanimously to authorize Superintendent Dr. Rachel Kowalski or her designee to execute a purchase agreement with Tecumseh Products for the facility at 5683 Hines Drive. The purchase is contingent on the district’s due diligence process, which would begin after the agreement is executed.

SAS Board President Tim Austin said the pending purchase gives the district an opportunity to plan ahead.

“The pending purchase of the Hines Drive property provides a tremendous opportunity for our students and community as a whole,” Austin said. “As a district, we are at our best when we are able to take a proactive approach to providing innovative solutions for our community.”

The move follows recent district work to expand early childhood options at Liberty School. As previously reported by The Sun Times News, Saline had already been preparing to add tuition-free preschool options for the 2026-27 school year while reworking space inside Liberty, which houses several district programs and services.

The district now says expanded preschool programming has outgrown Liberty, which has housed Saline’s preschool programs since 2017. Liberty opened in 1959 and is Saline’s oldest operating school building.

According to the district, applications for free PreK for All slots in Saline have already exceeded availability, with 72 applications for 64 free slots. Applications remain open for PreK for All slots in Saline and neighboring communities.

Saline plans to offer additional free early childhood options at the start of the 2026-27 school year, including a new half-day option and two Monday through Friday full-day classrooms.

Kowalski said the expansion would help the district reach more children during important early years.

“Access to high-quality early childhood education is critical, and this expansion will help us reach more children and families during their foundational years,” Kowalski said.

Statewide, Michigan has been expanding PreK for All. The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential says the Great Start Readiness Program is Michigan’s free PreK program for eligible 4-year-olds. The program is meant to help children build social, math, reading and thinking skills before kindergarten.

Saline’s current early childhood programming includes tuition-free preschool, Pooh Corner Preschool, Early Childhood Special Education, Early On intervention and Young 5s. The district describes its early childhood approach as play-based and developmentally appropriate.

Julie Voelker, executive director of special education, said a district-centered early childhood center would help children receive support earlier.

“Investing in an early childhood center is a prevention, equity, and readiness strategy,” Voelker said. “It would help more children receive the right support at the right time, in a setting designed to meet their needs from the very beginning.”

The district’s planning also comes as Saline looks at a mixed demographic picture. A March 2026 pupil enrollment projection study by Plante Moran found that Saline Area Schools’ population is aging, while also projecting district population growth through 2030. The study also noted that single-family home permits in the Saline ZIP code over the last five years were double the number permitted in the previous 10 years.

The Hines Drive building was most recently used for office space, research and development. The district said it has high ceilings, an open floor plan and nonload-bearing walls, allowing for renovation flexibility.

Rex Clary, executive director of operations, said the building’s condition would allow the district to take a phased approach.

“The excellent condition of the building will allow us to approach renovations using a phased approach, allowing parts of the building to be used for instruction with minimal investment while continuing to envision a new future home for early childhood programs designed with our youngest learners in mind,” Clary said.

The district also said the facility could support future initiatives, including STEAM programming. Saline Area Schools plans to move the Saline/South and West Washtenaw Consortium Building Trades program, currently housed off-site, to part of the new facility as early as fall 2027. The district said that move would end an annual lease agreement of more than $70,000.

Funding for the purchase would come from bond funds approved by voters in 2022. The district said it is working with the Michigan Treasury Department and legal counsel on amendments to the 2022 bond application to reflect current district needs.

Miranda Owsley, assistant superintendent of finance, said the district has avoided significant escalation costs on bond projects since 2022 and captured a $1.4 million rebate through solar-integrated roof projects.

School bond dollars are voter-approved funds used for capital projects, such as building purchases, construction, major renovations, land purchases and equipment. They cannot be used for general operating expenses or salaries.

Featured image: two preschoolers swinging at a recent visit to the Liberty School programs. Photo by Heather Finch