Pre-K village opens at Webb

AUSTIN (KXAN) - As kids head back to school, some children will be attending classes in portable building.

Changes in facilities for Austin Independent School District means a new so-called "pre-kindergarten village" will be launched on the Webb Middle School campus on Monday.

The pre-k village is made up of a cluster of portable buildings separate from the Webb campus.

Danielle Pokorny, a first-year pre-kindergarten teacher, is excited about the change. She encourages having pre-kindergarten classes through first grade in one area.

"I like the idea that they are all going to be around the same age group; so we don't have to worry about older kids with them. We will be able to have the focus on primary grades,” Pokorny said, “It’s going to be a big focus on early literacy especially."

The village idea arose because of under-enrollment at Webb and over-enrollment at North Central elementary schools. Not all Austin ISD board members have been excited about classroom changes at Webb. Trustee Cheryl Bradley does not like the idea of putting the district's youngest children in portable buildings.