Sean C. Morgan
School District 55 began offering all-day kindergarten two days per week to Sweet Home students this year, but next school year the district will provide all-day kindergarten full time.
Supt. Keith Winslow will discuss the upcoming changes with the board at its next regular meeting on Feb. 9.
For this school year, the district faced a reduction in federal Title I funding, which had financed an extended kindergarten program that had kindergarten students who needed extra help in school for a full day twice a week.
Former Supt. Don Schrader initially proposed going to full-day kindergarten this school year, but board members were concerned about the cost of the program. The board approved a compromise extended kindergarten program, that mimicked the federally funded program, allowing parents the option of sending their students to kindergarten all day twice a week.
From a budget perspective, the district absorbed the Title I extended garden into its general fund, said Business Manager Kevin Strong.
The general fund primarily draws its revenue from the state budget, property taxes and other local tax sources.
“Next year, we have to go to all day,” Winslow said. “In each of the buildings, that’s what we’re doing. Many districts are doing the same thing.”
Full-day kindergarten will be optional, and children can still attend half-day kindergarten if parents prefer, Winslow said, but the district won’t run buses for those students. Parents will need to provide transportation for their children from school.
“Each school will have full day, which will increase our teacher FTE (full-time equivalent) by two – half a teacher at each of those buildings,” Winslow said.
Winslow recalled when the district started the optional Title I extended kindergarten program. He was principal at Oak Heights at the time and the school identified eight students to receive the additional help.
All of them did better than students who weren’t in the program, he said.
The school started moving students in and out of the program as their academic performance improved, he said, and the program expanded in subsequent years.
Based on what he’s hearing from other superintendents, all-day kindergarten is generally popular, Winslow said. Some families didn’t want to go full time at first, but their reactions have changed.
“It’s an adjustment,” Winslow said. “In two to three weeks, it’s settling right in, and the kids are used to it. Most of the families say this is wonderful.”
Going all day will cost more in teacher salaries, but the state is supposed to pay for the expansion, Winslow said. Transportation costs will shrink a little, and the district will see a bump in food services funding.
The state won’t pay for space or furniture, though, he said. Other districts don’t have the space to handle the influx of students, and it’s been a problem for them. Sweet Home will have to find funding for some additional furniture.
Overall, Sweet Home is in better shape than many other districts, he said.
The board won’t need to take action at its meeting.
Winslow said staff will build the program into the proposed budget for the 2015-16 school year.