Posted on 02/15/2005 11:31:05 AM PST by chambley1
New construction, teacher pay hikes and all-day kindergarten are the highlights of the proposed budget for Prince William County schools.
On Feb. 2, Superintendent Edward Kelly presented his proposed budget for fiscal year 2006.
Full-day kindergarten
Kelly also suggested expanding the school division's full-day kindergarten program, which currently serves only Title I students.
Title I is a federal grant program designed to give educational assistance to students living in areas of extreme poverty. In Prince William County, Title I status is determined by the percentage of students in each school who qualify for free or reduced price lunches.
The current school year marked the introduction of full-day kindergarten for lower-income children in Title I elementary schools. Currently, only Title I students in Title I schools get full-day kindergarten. That means in western Prince William, the only kindergarteners who spend all day in school are low-income students at Mullen, Westgate and Yorkshire elementary schools.
All other kindergarteners at those three schools attend a half-day program and low-income students at other western Prince William schools also only attend for a half-day.
Kelly has proposed that all future elementary schools should be built with the eventual goal of housing full-day kindergarten.
His proposed budget also includes funding for full-day kindergarten for all the students in Prince William's 18 Title I schools, beginning next year. If approved, that would mean that all students at the three western Prince William Title I schools would have full-day kindergarten.
Kelly also said his proposal carries the understanding that full-day is a long-term goal for all Prince William elementary schools.
Gainesville District School Board representative Don Richardson said later he has not heard anyone disagree with the notion of a full-day program for all students in Title I schools.
However, he said, there are problems with instituting the full-day programs at all county elementary schools.
"A lot of schools don't have the space," Richardson said. "There are transportation challenges."
Kelly's plan suggests, as a next step, implementing full-day kindergarten in all schools that do have space for it.
"The difficulty I have in doing it in schools that have space," Richardson said, "is that then it becomes an equity issue."
Children in one school then receive a benefit that other schools in the same district cannot provide," he said. "Having [full-day] in a few schools is not responsible."
Andrew Buccheit, principal of Bristow Run Elementary, wrote in response to an e-mail question that "in order for us to accommodate full-day kindergarten, we would need to add three teachers and three classrooms."
That could have a significant impact on a school already wrestling with overcrowding.
The School Board will work over the next two months to finalize the budget. A public meeting is scheduled on Feb. 17 in the auditorium at Osbourn Park High School. The School Board must approve the budget by April 30.
The Left in a nutshell: It is better that everyone suffer equally than that the suffering of only a few be lessened.
The better-off are complaining that *they* don't get a whole day of free child care, too - is that it?
Nobody ever seems to ask "where does your money go?" --- we know, to "the administration"...its the same old liberal academia cry, "we need more money" when it has been proven that money is not the issue with education quality. Time and time again, yet the beat goes on. At no time are school districts and administrator HELD ACCOUNTABLE for performance -- just keep throwing money. And the kids suffer more and more...
This is redistribution of wealth,nothing more.
This is redistribution of wealth,nothing more.
The whole government school system is redistribution of wealth (in fact, the whole government, but that's another issue). But it's also social engineering.
"A lot of schools don't have the space," Richardson said. "There are transportation challenges." >>>>>>>>
the solution would then be going to all day every other day with every other friday. (m,w,f one week, m, w follwoing week) the only day to have to keep up with would be friday. This is what my school did way back in hmm, 1983 or 84. One of my kids was in this first class. This all day schedule actually saved the district money since they didn't have to pay for busing kids home and picking up others since they just rode the morning and after noon buses.
The teacher who had been teaching K for years loved it, mostly because she actually had time to get in more academics then when she was trying to squish alot in but it was really hard to do. (bathroom breaks and playtime were part of her 1/2 day schedule but they do take time with 5 or 6 yo's.) a full day in school actually helped the kids progress faster.
I think they've gone to all day every day now, but I'm not sure .
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