Full day kindergarten option discussed at public forum
Date: 11/26/2013
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.comLONGMEADOW – Longmeadow Public Schools Superintendent Marie Doyle advocated at a Nov. 20 public forum for a full time kindergarten for all students, but admitted there were several obstacles, most notably financial ones, that would have to be overcome.
The School Committee created a subcommittee in October to look into a more inclusive full day kindergarten for district, which currently offers a six-hour daily program through a lottery system at a cost to the family.
Doyle spoke to approximately 50 people at Longmeadow High School’s Business Technology Center, outlining what the district and the subcommittee had learned thus far in its research into both the state’s expectations and the residents’ perspective.
She pointed to the Common Core Standards now being implemented by Massachusetts school districts statewide as the main motivation for exploring a full day program, explaining mandated curriculum changes would “drastically change the expectations for kindergarten children.”
Doyle said the strong family structures and appreciation of learning that is fostered in many Longmeadow households has helped students meet expectations when they advance to first grade, but the demands on elementary learners are multiplying.
“We’ve been able to get by without full day kindergartens because we have highly educated parents, who read to their children, go to museums and [students] are well-educated at home, so we have been able to close that gap,” she said. “But now with the new Common Core, we don’t believe we should rest on our laurels any longer.”
She said the district has seen a “slight decline” in Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test scores in early elementary grades and educators believe this is due to the lack of a full day kindergarten program.
Some in the audience voiced concern with anxiety levels that could be higher because of a full day program, however, elementary educators present at the meeting were of the mind that a full day program would allow children the time for play and rest while still getting necessary work accomplished. This is something they felt could not be achieved in a 2 ½ hour day and the shorter schedule could lead to more anxiety.
It was also asserted that students in half-day programs often have worries regarding transitions, which can also make them overly anxious and reduce their ability to absorb knowledge.
In order to gain better understanding of what the town desired, the district launched a survey on its website that garnered more than 300 responses. The results showed that more than 60 percent of respondents strongly supported a change to a full day program, while approximately 20 percent opposed such a move. However, more than 50 percent of the survey participants were opposed to paying $2,500 in order to place their children in full day kindergarten.
“Many, many, many parents believe the program should be free and that if it’s something that the children need and it’s part of their education and important for other grades, we should pay for it,” Doyle said. “That was an overwhelming response from the parents and we heard that loudly and clearly.”
Doyle said keeping any full day program free for parents would present challenges.
“It would be my desire to do it free, but I can’t stand here honestly and tell you that we can do it,” she said.
According to Massachusetts’s policy, districts are required to provide 2.5 hours daily, or 425 hours a year, of kindergarten for free, but may charge tuition for anything beyond that.
Doyle said while uncommon in Western Massachusetts, one-third of the districts in the state charge fees. East Longmeadow currently requires $2,650 for its full day kindergarten and communities identified by the state as “like districts” to Longmeadow charge anywhere from $1,800 to $4,200.
She explained that oftentimes districts that offer full day kindergarten without a fee do so with the help of outside revenue sources, such as grants that Longmeadow, as a community that is perceived to be affluent, cannot take advantage of.
She said that it would be difficult to maintain a free full day kindergarten, largely because the district would need to increase staffing dramatically.
An additional 4.5 full time equivalent (FTE) teacher positions would have to be added at an anticipated cost of $286,199 and an additional 4.5 FTE assistant jobs would be created, which would cost approximately $78,000.
Those figures, Doyle said, were based on the assumption that Blueberry Hill School would have three kindergarten sections.
An additional $30,000 would be necessary to purchase essential supplies.
She added that the school department was given a directive by the Town Manager to maintain a level service budget, limiting the district’s options.
“What that means is you get your budget with the minimum increases in it. It does not allow for creating new programs unless you cut existing programs,” Doyle said.
School Committee Chair Michael Clark explained that without adding any programs, the district is looking at a budget request of $850,000 higher than last year due to a 2 percent raise, plus step increases and bonuses for continuing education that were negotiated into the teachers’ contracts.
Those expenses, plus contractual obligations of other town departments and the expense of adding full day kindergarten, would certainly exceed the 2 ½ percent the town is allowed to raise taxes as mandated by Proposition 2 ½.
When asked what could be cut, Doyle said it was possible support mechanisms put in place to increase literacy and math proficiency and programs at the high school could be removed. She also added that the district might have to “look at class sizes across the board.”
If the district decides to pursue free full day kindergarten, but does not cut programs, it would most likely have to pursue a Proposition 2 ½ override, Clark said.
“That said, the School Committee and Select Board have met several times and the one clear consensus is that as of right now, the plan is to balance the budget without seeking an override,” he said, adding, however, that if full day kindergarten was deemed a priority by his committee, it would seek the Select Board’s support.
