Elizabeth Lolli
MONROE — The Monroe Schools Board of Education is expected to decide in January what to do about state mandated all-day kindergarten.
Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said the board, which includes three newcomers elected during the November general election, and administration have not had a chance to discuss the situation yet.
“We will do so at the regular board meeting in January,” she said.
Gov. Ted Strickland’s original plan was that all public schools in Ohio would offer full-day kindergarten in the fall of 2010. But Ohio legislators have delayed the plan for one more year.
Earlier this month, Strickland signed House Bill 318, which among other things permits school districts to request and receive a waiver to delay the implementation of all-day kindergarten, but only if a resolution from the local school board of the district provides a justification for a delay and a plan to implement all-day kindergarten; and provides potential additional funding for non-public, chartered schools.
Lolli said she thinks there are many children in the district who do not attend preschool that would benefit from an all-day program.
“If we do not fully implement it in 2010-2011 school year, the district should at least consider offering an all-day program for children who qualify for extra services,” she said.
Many Ohio districts say they aren’t ready yet to provide all-day kindergarten. Some say they will need to hire more teachers and find more classrooms, which will cost more money.
Lolli said the actual cost to the district would call for hiring four new teachers and paying their salaries and benefits. The average salary and benefit package would run the district about $35,000, plus 24 percent in benefits for a first-year teacher. Materials and furniture for classrooms would cost an estimated $80,000.
In addition, Lolli said the district would incur cost for the continued use of its modular units as classrooms, along with the recent purchase of the Berns property for nearly $1 million. The district plans to move its administrative personnel to the new property at 500 Yankee Road from modular units behind its Primary School on Macready Avenue to make space for more kindergarten classes.
The district currently offers eight units of half-day kindergarten to about 176 students in its kindergarten program, she said.
However, Lolli said the benefits of a quality all-day kindergarten program are numerous when it is taught in a developmentally appropriate manner because it provides a very important first step to learning.
“Children have more time for experience with literacy and math concepts. The time that can be spent learning through centers and other hands-on activities is also increased,” she said.
“A half-day program tends to be rushed with all the state required curriculum. Teachers in a full-day program would have much more time to teach and assess the children.”
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