Westbrook school officials confirmed for parents Tuesday that an enrollment increase will be countered with two portable classrooms – at least temporarily.

A group of approximately 30 parents attended a public meeting at Canal Elementary School, as Superintendent of Schools Marc Gousse laid out the plan to add one portable there and one more at Saccarappa Elementary School.

Parents questioned whether more portables would cut into outdoor play space that is already limited, as well as how the school department is studying future enrollment.

“The kids already have a limited amount of play space,” one parent said Tuesday, referring to Saccarappa Elementary.

Another parent brought up the long-discussed closing of Prides Corner Elementary, which was closed in 2012, owing to a large price tag for renovations.

“At what point in time do we say maybe the way we’re trying to figure out what the upcoming need is doesn’t work?” he said about enrollment figures.

In a letter to parents last month, Gousse announced the plan to purchase two portables to combat overcrowding in both schools, after an uptick in kindergarten enrollments. He said a previous plan to host kindergarten at the Westbrook Community Center was found to be too “cost prohibitive,” as security upgrades were slated to cost between $200,000-$400,000. At a public meeting in May, many parents also questioned the idea.

The two portables will cost under $50,000.

Peter Lancia, the department’s director of teaching and learning, said the portables will not be used for regular instruction, where students would be in a portable all day, but rather for shorter support programs such as Title 1 or English Language Learners.

“We felt it very important that the children spend the bulk of their day within the school,” he said.

Gousse also informed parents about an upcoming joint meeting with the Westbrook School Committee and City Council, which will specifically discuss city population growth, enrollment and school expansion. He said the city planner and architects working with the school department will be at the meeting on Monday, Aug. 17.

“You’ll see us advancing projects at the elementary and middle level over the next few months,” he said.

The projects will most likely include renovations or additions to Saccarappa Elementary School, as well as plans to finish the third-floor wing of classrooms at Westbrook Middle School.