Lake Local administrators and the Board of Education have decided to implement districtwide all-day every-day kindergarten for the 2010-2011 school year. Reforms in Governor Ted Strickland’s current biennium budget, passed this summer, include providing free all-day, every-day Kindergarten in all public schools.
The Ohio Revised Code defines all-day every-day kindergarten as “a kindergarten class that is in session five days per week for not less than the same number of clock hours each day as for pupils in grades one through six.”
House Bill 1 requires that all-day every-day kindergarten be implemented next school year. Although a provision exists that provides districts with the opportunity to delay implementation by one year, Lake will start all-day every-day kindergarten for the 2010-2011 academic year so that it can better serve and educate students, and align with what neighboring districts are providing. Districts will still have to provide the half-day kindergarten option if parents request it.
In the vast majority of districts, implementing all-day every-day kindergarten will require the district to fund a major portion of the added expense. Space, supplies, materials and personnel will add significant cost to next year’s budget. Lake’s present kindergarten enrollment is 256. All-day every-day kindergarten will require the addition of at least three new classroom teachers and at least one part-time Title I teacher. Because the new requirements also include reduced class size, the district will need to consider the class size for all grade levels. Lake has 100 percent highly qualified teachers, which means that all teachers are certified to teach in the grade level or subject area in which they work.
Additional expenses to the district will include personnel, supplies, classroom equipment and instructional materials.
“We want to do everything possible to achieve our vision of being the best organization for learning, and we believe that all-day every-day kindergarten is an important step toward this vision.” said Superintendent Jeff Wendorf.
