Full Day, Tuition-Based Kindergarten Approved by Board of Ed

Original story posted 10:05 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17. Update to include additional comments by parents and Board members posted 8:22 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18. 

The Summit Board of Education voted to approve a pilot full-day, tuition-based kindergarten program for the 2014-2015 school year. The vote came down to five members voting for it and two against. James Freeman and Richard Hanley cast the dissenting votes. 

The Board and parents discussed the proposal for over an hour before voting, with parents expressing mixed opinions. The program will accommodate 40 students, who will be chosen by a lottery system similar to that of the current preschool lottery.

One class of 20 will be taught in an existing space at the Wilson Primary Center, while the second class of 20 will attend Jefferson Primary, also in an existing space.

If their student is selected, parents would pay $5,500 per child annually. That fee would cover the cost for 25 percent of parents who can’t afford to the program. 

Because it is a lottery-based program, many parents expressed concerns that it creates "an unlevel playing field" for those who aren't selected or for those who are unable to afford the tuition but don't qualify for free or reduced services. One mother said one of the greatest things about this country is that a free, public education is "the great equalizer," this program "takes something sacred and shifts it." 

Board President Gloria Ron-Fornes said over the past three years that is the greatest thing she has wrestled with about full-day kindergarten. She said because new structures cannot be built to accommodate all the district's children, it is better to move forward for some than not at all. 

“We believe that a full day kindergarten program will benefit all Summit students and community,” Ron-Fornes said. “We would prefer to offer the program to all students, however this offering can be provided without additional construction costs. We strongly believe in the benefits of early childhood education and are pleased that we can offer this option to the community."

Prior to the vote, one mom, who has twins, asked the Board to consider what would happen if one were selected and the other weren't. Others advocated for an all-or-none approach, asking the Board to leave things as they are in the interest of fairness. While many were in favor of a full-day program, they told the Board the lottery-based system wasn't the best way to go about it.

Ron-Fornes said she realizes the situation is not ideal but believes it is better to take a step forward than doing nothing. 

Freeman, who voted against the program, referred to himself as a "skeptic" and said he didn't believe a full day kindergarten was "a game changer" in terms of educational benefits. He also asked the Board if they believed Summit could provide a "better" full day kindergarten than other local programs offer. Ron-Fornes said other programs are not bound to the common core standards the way a public school is and while one is not better or worse, the common core standards look at a progression of skills and are very clear about expectations by the end of each grade.

"What are we doing for people in the middle?" Freeman also asked and added that while $5,500 would not be a barrier for wealthy families nor those qualifying for free and reduced lunch, the plan didn't offer anything for those in between. 

Other parents were suprised to learn that the 60 children who currently attend the wrap-around program would be displaced, as their current location will be used by the full day kindergarten. A wrap-around program will continue to be offered but at another locale such as the Connection or the YMCA.

With 75 percent of New Jersey offering a full day program, this option was brought to the Board of Education as a more affordable alternative to a full day, universal, free kindergarten, which necessitated construction, and was rejected by the Board of School Estimate in May of 2013.  

Operations Committee Chair David Dietze outlined the possible cost impact depending on a number variables. Dietze explained that in a worst case scenario the  cost to the district would be $130,000, which would be absorbed by making cuts elsewhere. He broke down how the committee arrived at that figure. If 40 children who would have gone elsewhere now enter the district because of this opportunity, the cost of educating them is $300,000. That figure would be offset by $170,000 in tuition collected. 

Hanley, who voted against the program, said the number of variables made it very hard to predict the possible impact. He pointed out that in an extreme worst-case scenario if all 40 children chosen from the lottery qualified for free or reduced lunch the district would generate no revenue.

Conversely, Ron-Fornes said should all 40 be students who would pay the full tuition, a third section of the program would be considered. 

Additional information on the lottery for full-day kindergarten is expected to become available in the coming weeks.

Summit Schools Superintendent Dr. Nathan Parker offered a tenative schedule that would see parents receiving information in November, tours being offered in early December, with the deadline to enter the lottery occurring in mid-January. 

Board Vice President said Celia Colbert said most other full-day programs ask for a response by February so this would leave parents with other alternatives if they are not selected. 

Additional details can be found at www.summit.k12.nj.us.