Ed Condon, the still-new District 90 superintendent, told the board of education on Nov. 1 that he’d be comfortable making a recommendation in January on whether the district should implement a full-day kindergarten program beginning with the fall of 2013.
Some board members agreed a decision without Condon’s input would be premature, but others in attendance expressed concern about the time it was taking to weigh in on this long-debated issue.
“The community needs an answer,” said Laura Huseby, a parent with one child at Willard Elementary School and another starting there next fall. Huseby said she’s heard from frustrated parents who don’t want the decision delayed much longer.
Patrick Meyer, board vice president, said there’s pressure because discussions have been ongoing for some time. Every year, he said, there’s a new group of parents passionate about the program and “at some point we need to make a decision.” His comments drew applause from several parents.
The board asked for Condon’s take after he and Martha Ryan-Toye, director of student services, presented results from an online survey conducted last month. The survey asked parents with kids in grades one through four at Lincoln and Willard elementary schools about their kid’s kindergarten experiences.
The district currently offers a half-day kindergarten program for two and a half hours, five days per week.
About 90 percent of respondents whose children attended a kindergarten program in the district said their child’s experience was excellent or good. But for those who enrolled their children in a kindergarten program outside the district, the biggest reason was the length of the instructional day. Most who enrolled outside the district put their kids in a full-day program, according to the survey.
The wild-card question, Condon said, was “if you build it, will they come?”
Anthony Cozzi, director of finances and facilities for D90, said the implementation of the program calls for four and a half new teaching positions and four new classrooms for 60-80 kids. Lincoln and Willard were built with the intent to expand, he said, but no additional space for lunch or gym was figured into the plan. The program would cost about $2.8 million in its first year.
Condon and staff will make a recommendation to the board at the Jan. 23 meeting.