Full-day kindergarten proposed

Friday, Feb. 27, 2004 | 11:30 a.m.

Clark County School District officials are considering a pilot program in which parents would pay tuition for their children to attend full-day kindergarten classes.

Full-day kindergarten programs have become increasingly popular in school districts across the United States. Educators point to studies that show the program prepares students better for grade school. But the programs require significant funding, staff and classroom space -- all in short supply, said Walt Rulffes, deputy superintendent of operations for the Clark County School District.

Questionnaires have been sent to parents of students at seven schools in the district's southeast region and nine schools in the northwest region to gauge interest. The cost of the nine-month class would be about $250 to $300 per month, Rulffes said.

The district offers full-day kindergarten in only a handful of at-risk schools, paying for the program with federal funds. There isn't enough money in the district's budget to pay for additional classes, Rulffes said.

The state's 17 school districts teamed up during the last legislative session to push the iNVest plan, an $879 million initiative that called for various educational improvements including full-day kindergarten.

Gov. Kenny Guinn called for full-day kindergarten in his State of the State address in 2003, but the Legislature, already in a funding crunch, didn't approve the request.

The district's share of federal Title I dollars -- reserved for schools with high populations of students from low-income families -- is expected to increase this year by several million dollars. Much of that money has already been earmarked for expanding the full-day kindergarten program in poorer schools, Rulffes said.

The pilot program would be carried out at schools that don't qualify for the federal aid. Connie Wilcox, who has two children at Galloway Elementary School, said she was taken aback when she first received the parent questionnaire.

Wilcox, during the public comment portion of Thursday's Clark County School Board meeting, asked what the difference would be in terms of curriculum between the half-day and full-day kindergarten classes. Wilcox also wanted to know how the tuition would be spent and whether it would supplement or replace other funding.

"If we all know full-day kindergarten is a great idea then there should be some way to get federal funding for the pilot program and not have to ask the parents for the money," Wilcox said. "I'd probably have to get a second job to pay for it."

School Board member Denise Brodsky said she was interested in the pilot program but still believed having full-day kindergarten -- funded by the state -- should be a top priority.

Lauren Kohut-Rost, superintendent of the district's southeast region, said a minimum of 25 parents at each school would have to sign on for the study to move forward. Other states, including Arizona, have successfully instituted similar programs, Kohut-Rost said.