District 220 Talks Full-Day Kindergarten, Changing School Calendar

is considering several options for optimizing time in the classroom, including full-day kindergarten, modifying school day start and end times, extending school hours and starting school in early August.

The conversation about optimizing time has been in the works for quite a while, but there are some cost and logistical obstacles with each idea. At the school board meeting on Nov. 1, a more in-depth report about the advantages and obstacles of each idea were presented.

“Because of the budget constraints and some other economic circumstances that the district and community are facing, it was felt that more time was needed to be devoted to exploring these ideas and gauging public opinion,” Chief Communications Officer Jeff Arnett said.

Much of the discussion on Nov. 1 was geared toward the option of full-day kindergarten in the district.

“We hear frequently from the community that this is something they would be interested in. A lot of the districts comparable to are already moving toward full-day kindergarten or are seriously considering it,” Arnett explained.

There are advantages to offering full-day kindergarten to families in . It’s known that children are capable of learning more at an earlier age, and early interventions and additional time in the classroom can increase student success. Some families are looking for a longer school day for their students as well.

The disadvantages to offering a program like this also were taken into account.  Each elementary school would need to have suitable classrooms available. There also would need to be an increased full-time equivalent staff person at each school, which would drive up costs. In addition, the school district would have to learn more about the logistics behind school bus transportation and what the costs would be.

Arnett pointed out an interesting fact regarding kindergarten enrollment in the district.

“We find as a district our enrollment when students go into first grade, inevitably goes up, whereas our kindergarten enrollment has declined slightly over the past few years,” he said.

This information leads district officials to believe that some parents could be looking for full-day options for their kids during kindergarten, and bring them back to the for first grade.

“We know there are other entities offering alternatives to half-day kindergarten. We want to do what’s best for our students and for the families in our school district, while at the same time being respectful of the various private entities and community services that are available.”

Before any final decisions are made regarding full-day kindergarten or any of the other ideas to optimize time in the classroom, the budget for next year needs to be finalized. The district also may begin negotiations with the teacher’s association regarding a new contract.

“All of these things go hand in hand,” Arnett said.

will look for public opinions on these issues later this year to determine what families are most supportive of it. Final decisions likely will be made by early 2012.