News
District making plans for full-day kindergarten
March 30, 2009
| “We feel like full-day kindergarten is a very important
program that will be beneficial to our students and because
of the funding that is currently available to us, this is an
opportunity that we can’t afford to waste.” - Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Spring |
Full-day kindergarten may become a reality in Mohonasen next year.
At the March 23 meeting of the Mohonasen Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Spring recommended that at its next meeting, on April 6, the board adopt a resolution to implement the program beginning in September 2009.
For as many as 20 years, Spring said, district officials have been hoping to add full-day kindergarten. However, for financial reasons and space limitations, it never happened. Yet, both enrollment projections and a possible influx of federal school aid may make 2009-10 the best year to overcome these constraints.
| Full-day kindergarten offers more time for success learn more about full-day kindergarten and its benefits |
The district is seeing lower enrollment numbers, meaning that with some temporary modifications to Bradt Primary School, the proper space could be created. Long term, officials are stilling planning a capital project that would allow for more permanent space at the school to house the additional sections of kindergarten.
In addition, a unique funding opportunity has arisen in the form of the federal stimulus package, which contains unprecedented aid for school districts. Mohonasen is slated to receive more than $800,000 in additional federal grant funding over the next two years, some of which, Spring said, could be used to pay for the five additional teaching positions that would be needed to add full-day kindergarten.
Moving to full-day kindergarten would also make the district eligible for transition aid from the state in 2010-2011. Between the state and federal funding, Spring said the district should be able to transition to full-day kindergarten without raising taxes. Then, as the state and federal funding begins to disappear in a couple of years, she said officials would work to find ways to make up for these additional costs.
While clearly not an amount that would offset the entire cost of the program in future years, research shows that the strengthened early education program children receive in a full-day program can help districts save money in remediation in the future. More importantly, in an age of increased standards and graduation requirements, full-day kindergarten is a way to give students a stronger start in school.
Additionally, Spring noted that the district would also save approximately $50,000 a year in transportation costs by eliminating the kindergarten-only bus runs that occur in the mornings, mid-day and at the end of each school day right now.
“Our goal here is to implement this new program in a way that does not create a burden for our taxpayers,” Spring said. “We feel like full-day kindergarten is a very important program that will be beneficial to our students and because of the funding that is currently available to us, this is an opportunity that we can’t afford to waste.”
Spring also pointed out that several other area districts—like Schenectady and Duanesburg—already have full-day kindergarten, and others – like Scotia-Glenville and Bethlehem, are adding it for next year.
