BLANCHARDVILLE - The Pecatonica school board tabled implementation of a 4-year-old kindergarten program for the 2008-09 school year, but spent time discussing it first.
The proposed program would have two sessions, one morning and one afternoon, with bus service provided at 11 a.m. and noon.
4K is proposed as optional and open to all children who are 4 before Sept. 1, 2008. The program will use the current Early Childhood room and materials, but 3-year-old early childhood students will be separated from the 4K program. 4-year-old Early Childhood students would be integrated into the 4K program, although 4K is not intended as a program for children with developmental delays.
Additional expenses the district would incur include about $7,000 per year in transportation costs, one additional staff person and some room remodeling costs. The initial program investment would cost the district either $27,9999 or $15,896 in the first year, depending on the additional staff person's health insurance elections. Costs could be offset by grants from the Department of Public Instruction and CESA3/4.
Public input on the program's implementation varied. District resident Dick Gifford voiced concern over the timing of the program's implementation in relation to the upcoming referendum.
"I'm giving you a warning," he said. "You have a very important resolution coming up. A lot of taxpayers think this 4K is nothing but glorified babysitting and you can't change their minds."
He suggested the board wait until after the referendum to implement the program.
In response, several parents indicated they would like to see the program approved sooner, rather than later, in order to plan for next school year.
"The timing is not the greatest," board President Rick Rolfsmeyer said. He said the referendum's outcome has no bearing on the 4K program's implementation and that funds for the program will come from the general fund.
Rolfsmeyer said he favored the program being approved sooner rather than later as well, in order to give teachers enough time to prepare, as well as the district enough time to compete for grant money.
The proposed program would have two sessions, one morning and one afternoon, with bus service provided at 11 a.m. and noon.
4K is proposed as optional and open to all children who are 4 before Sept. 1, 2008. The program will use the current Early Childhood room and materials, but 3-year-old early childhood students will be separated from the 4K program. 4-year-old Early Childhood students would be integrated into the 4K program, although 4K is not intended as a program for children with developmental delays.
Additional expenses the district would incur include about $7,000 per year in transportation costs, one additional staff person and some room remodeling costs. The initial program investment would cost the district either $27,9999 or $15,896 in the first year, depending on the additional staff person's health insurance elections. Costs could be offset by grants from the Department of Public Instruction and CESA3/4.
Public input on the program's implementation varied. District resident Dick Gifford voiced concern over the timing of the program's implementation in relation to the upcoming referendum.
"I'm giving you a warning," he said. "You have a very important resolution coming up. A lot of taxpayers think this 4K is nothing but glorified babysitting and you can't change their minds."
He suggested the board wait until after the referendum to implement the program.
In response, several parents indicated they would like to see the program approved sooner, rather than later, in order to plan for next school year.
"The timing is not the greatest," board President Rick Rolfsmeyer said. He said the referendum's outcome has no bearing on the 4K program's implementation and that funds for the program will come from the general fund.
Rolfsmeyer said he favored the program being approved sooner rather than later as well, in order to give teachers enough time to prepare, as well as the district enough time to compete for grant money.