Stop Full-Day Kindergarten By Voting ‘No’ On The Budget

To the Editor:

Unless we go to the polls on April 24 and vote No on the budget, the school administration will get the green light to implement full-day kindergarten (FDK) for all children beginning in August. That means they’ll be hiring 8½ more teachers and seven more education assistants, as well as purchasing equipment, supplies and furniture for seven more classrooms.

More importantly, that means for those parents who know that a full-day of class is too long for their young kindergarten child, they’ll have no other option than FDK in town. At present, parents preferring FDK for their children have a choice of at least two private FDK options in town.

Contrary to what you may have been led to believe, Newtown’s half-day kindergarten offering doesn’t make us a lone outcast. Our neighbors in Region 15 (Southbury and Middlebury), whose school board recently approved a zero increase budget, offer half-day kindergarten to all students. Monroe and Oxford, bordering towns, also offer half-day to all. Of our seven bordering towns, only Bethel and Easton currently offer FDK-for-all. Brookfield and Redding offer extended-day (more hours/week than ½ day, less than full-day).

In fact, of the seven Fairfield County towns that are in our District Reference Group (the group of 20 Connecticut communities similar to Newtown), only one currently offers FDK-for-all: Greenwich. Only three of all 20 districts in our DRG provide FDK-for-all, while 12 of these districts offer half-day-for-all.

It appears we’d become more of an outcast in our DRG if we did offer FDK-for-all. Regardless, spending tax dollars in order to be more like the Joneses should not be an education budget strategy. 

Meanwhile, we’re looking to hire 15½ new educators. Not for the purpose of something like regaining our blue ribbon status, but rather, for expanding the length of our kindergarten days.

Yet studies show full-day kindergarten provides no lasting academic benefits over half-day kindergarten. One such study, commissioned by the state of Washington (www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/07-03-2201.pdf), analyzed 23 rigorous evaluations and found that FDK, compared with half-day, produces a boost to test scores during, or shortly after, kindergarten. “These positive early gains, however, appear to erode almost completely during grades one through three.”

Newtown’s full-day-kindergarten-for-all plan is misguided. If we’re going to authorize an increase in education spending, it should be in support of something that clearly improves educational outcomes, and doesn’t remove choices for parents.

If you agree, stop in at the Middle School on Tuesday, April 24, between 6 am and 8 pm and vote No on the budget.

If the budget is defeated, you can help guide the Legislative Council and the Board of Education by telling them what you’d like to see changed. Their contact information can be found at www.newtown-ct.gov under Boards & Commissions.

Cathy Reiss

42 Obtuse Road, Newtown                                              April 18, 2012