Schools

School Board Approves Tuition-Based Expansion of Extended-Day Kindergarten

Some board members object to charging for program, raise concerns about space and other issues.

By a 5-3 vote, the Canton Board of Education recently approved the expansion of extended day kindergarten as a tuition-based program.

This year a group of morning kindergarten students, eight from Canton and seven from Hartford, participate in a second, grant-funded afternoon session of kindergarten at .

Next year, the school will offer two sessions of extended-day kindergarten at a cost of $3,500 per student to Canton parents. Twenty-eight Canton and 10 Hartford students would be in the program and students would have the same teacher the entire day.

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Board of Education Chairwoman Beth Kandrysawtz said data show the kids are doing well in current program but she still considers next year a “pilot.” 

“The data is positive but we wouldn’t make a decision on a small group of students for one year,” Kandrysawtz said.

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One aspect allowing the school to expand the program is decreased kindergarten enrollment. While officials projected 138 kindergarteners, as of Wednesday 95 were enrolled.

But some board members expressed concerns at certain aspects of the program, including space at the school, charging parents and potentially creating academic inequality.

Gretchen Sonju was one board member who voted against the expansion of the program.  She said she believes in extended day kindergarten but does not think it should be tuition-based.

“It makes me uncomfortable to charge for academics,” she said.

While Sonju acknowledges financial assistance is available, she opposes the principle of charging for an academic program that is mandated, even if part is optional. She said some parents may not apply for financial assistance because they are embarrassed or unaware of it. 

Kandrysawtz believes it reflects economic reality to charge for an optional part of the program.

“We can’t do it without the tuition in this economic client,” Kandrysawtz said.

She said there are provisions for confidential, needs-based financial assistance just like any other program, like pay to play or preschool . It will also not affect the lottery used to choose who gets into the program, she said.

The tuition from the Canton students alone will bring in about $120,000,Assistant Superintendent Lynn McMullin said, but the number may fluctuate depending on how families need financial assistance.

The school will also receive $4,500 per Hartford student under Department of Education Open Choice Academic and Social Supports Grant funding, which is administered by the Capitol Region Education Council.

The exact cost of the program may vary depending on how much academic support is used in the classes but school officials said the tuition will bring in funds above and beyond the costs of the program.

The program would only run during school hours, which may present difficulties to parents who need before and after-school care, Sonju said.

If that becomes an issue the school district can look at the possibility of offering that, McMullin said. Also, the $3,500 is still less than parents would pay for a half day of day care, McMullin said a previous meeting.

Some of those opposed to expansion of the program are also concerned with space at the school. Already officials are looking at reconfiguring some at the school in anticipation of an additional third-grade section next year.

And if kindergarten enrollment jumps, the school may have to pull back on the program, creating inconsistency in its offerings, Sonju said.

Her other major concern was the fact that the 10 Hartford students would be divided into the two sections, allowing fewer Canton kids the chance for integration. 

Already, afternoon kindergarten session students in Canton are not integrated with the Hartford students, Kandrysawtz said.

And the extended day program does allow the Hartford students to stay at the school all day rather than go to a different facility for the afternoon, Kandrysawtz said.

“We feel it’s really important to include them in our community right from the beginning,” she said.

There were also some concerns about the extended day students being ahead of the others academically.

The school is already prepared for that because kindergarteners and first-graders come in with a wide range of abilities, Kandrysawtz said.

“There’s always a wide diversity of student ability coming into first grade,” she said.

Voting for the expansion were Kandrysawtz, Leslee Hill, Jonathan Webb, Mark Lange and Sue Saidel. Voting against it were Sonju, Susan Crowe, and Patti White.

Parents who do want their child considered for the program need to have paperwork to the school by Friday. Principal Andy Robbin said that as of Wednesday there were 30 students in the mix for the 28 spots.

The 28 will be chosen by lottery, school officials said.


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