Expanding all-day kindergarten to every
class in every school will cost the
school district another $400,000, the school board learned Monday during the
presentation
of the proposed 2009-2010 school year budget.
School Board President Mark Gleason said the additional cost is on top of
the $1
million spent for the current all-day kindergarten program, which is
in place in 17 classes and accounts for about two-thirds
of the
kindergartens district-wide.
Under the proposal to make all kindergarten classes full day, the number of
classes would likely
increase to at least 24, Gleason said. The budget
proposal currently places the $400,000 extra cost as an additional
budge
item outside of the general fund.
The exact number of classes will not be known until early registration,
which began Monday,
is completed in February.
The kindergarten cost estimate was part of the overall district budget
proposal, which calls
for a 4% tax levy increase to $94 million. That will
be added to an estimated $7 million in state funds. The entire budget
is
estimated at $105 million, not including debt service.
Gleason said Superintendent Brian Osborne also
included requests for more
summer school
options, English language arts, and increased support for
"struggling students."
"So
we can offer students a chance to step up,"
Gleason said. "It is pretty
early in the budget process."
Gleason also pointed to a $3 million budget surplus that he believes will
ease some of the burden. He said the surplus is the result of a new state
health benefit plan for teachers that required
more teacher contributions
and a decrease in the number of students required to be sent out of district
for special
education.
The next school board meeting is Feb. 4.
