School board to discuss kindergarten program
October 30, 2009 4:19 PM
The Corvallis School Board is scheduled to make a decision about the future of the district's all-day kindergarten enrichment program after the 2009-10 school year at its Dec. 7 monthly board meeting.
Board meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. at the district office, 1555 S.W. 35th St.
The following Q & A will hopefully answer many of the questions surrounding the all-day kindergarten issue:
Q. How has the district operated its all-day kindergarten program in the past?
A. For 15 years, our schools offered a full-day kindergarten option on a self-supporting basis by charging tuition since the state only funds a half-day of kindergarten instruction. When there were more applicants than spaces available at a particular school, a lottery was held. The district set a tuition amount to fully pay for the program by allocating a certain number of seats for families paying the full tuition fee, as well as a certain number of seats for those needing a full or partial scholarship.
Q. What caused the district to change its kindergarten program?
A. Two years ago, the Oregon Legislature received a complaint about the legality of charging tuition for a full day of kindergarten instruction. The Attorney General's Office rendered an opinion that school districts could not charge tuition for students to receive direct kindergarten instruction. Based on this interpretation, the district ended its tuition-based, full-day kindergarten program and moved to a half-day enrichment program. The new program requires that instruction of state and district standards occur during the regular half day of kindergarten and that the tuition-supported hours include only enrichment experiences.
In addition, it was clarified for the district that all students eligible for either free or reduced lunches must also be eligible for a full scholarship in kindergarten tuition programs. To comply with this ruling, the district began using a lottery process for available seats in which all students requesting the all-day enrichment program were included without consideration of whether a student would receive the services for free or by parent-paid tuition.
Q. Why is the program in jeopardy?
A. Because of these changes, the cost of the enrichment program now is not fully paid by the tuition fees. Extending full scholarships to all eligible students added about $50,000 to the annual cost of this program.
This year, the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation provided the additional $50,000, but it's unlikely that the foundation will be able to continue this subsidy into the future. With the slow economic recovery, more students are eligible for scholarships and the cost to the district will grow. Additionally, if a student has special needs, the cost of providing the necessary services during kindergarten enrichment time increases the cost.
Q. How does the Title 1 status of Garfield and Lincoln impact the situation?
A. Title 1 is a subsection of federal law that provides for resources to support the education of children growing up in poverty. Garfield and Lincoln schools paid for their all-day kindergarten programs with Title I federal grant money. Less federal grant funds will be available in the 2010-2011 school year and these schools may not be able to continue to provide free all-day kindergarten. If the district were to cover the cost of all scholarships at all schools, including Garfield and Lincoln, the cost of the program would exceed current tuition charges by about $250,000 to $300,000.
Q. What are the "unknowns" that will factor into the school board's decision?
A. One is that the Legislature is not expected to consider possible legislative changes related to full-day kindergarten programs until the 2011-12 school year. Secondly, state school funding forecasts are likely to remain grim, depending on the outcome of the tax measures on the Jan. 26 ballot and how long it takes for Oregon's economy to recover. Adding the expense of kindergarten scholarships, or any new costs, to the district's budget at this time would require cutting other areas of the budget.
