Dexter Community Schools switches to full-day kindergarten with half-day option
The Dexter Community Schools Board of Education voted in favor of moving to a district-wide all-day kindergarten program Monday night, according to a report in the Dexter Leader.
There will be an informational meeting for parents at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 at Cornerstone Elementary School, 7480 Dan Hoey Road.
Superintendent Mary Marshall told AnnArbor.com she believes this switch is in the best interest of students and while the district’s budget is tight, the all-day program is “important so we will have to make that an expense we accommodate for.”
“We are very fortunate and have had some wise budgeting in the past few years, so we do have a fund balance — and some undesignated fund balance — for our district,” she said, adding the undesignated funds total about $1.8 million right now.
Click here to read the Dexter Leader’s account of Monday’s Board of Education meeting.
Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.
Comments
Barbara Read
Thu, Dec 22, 2011 : 3:11 p.m.
Oh, and you can watch the Dexter Board of Education discussion (44:35) and vote (55:04) from Monday evening here. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SlwuK9NSkA" rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SlwuK9NSkA</a> And the principal presentation requesting the change (0:00) from a few weeks earlier is also online. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KHjkRrujIU" rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KHjkRrujIU</a> @dextermom Actually, the schools get money based on the time students are enrolled at school. A part-time student gets part-time funding. I know this because two of my daughters were part-time students in middle school and Mill Creek received funding for them only for the second half of the school day. They are back full-time now at Dexter High School and doing great.
Barbara Read
Thu, Dec 22, 2011 : 3:08 p.m.
More time at school doesn't necessarily translate into a better education. I agree that there are children who will benefit from a full day of instruction and parents for whom that is also a better fit, but it can be overkill for the child who has already mastered the simple kindergarten requirements--and might better spend his or her time in more open-ended activities. I'm glad that my children were able to go to half-day kindergarten and spend the rest of their time in more typical 5 year-old pursuits like helping me around the house and going on interesting outings. For them, that was time better spent. A good option for parents who still want a half-day kindergarten is to homeschool for core curriculum and take your child to school for the "specials": music, art, world cultures, etc. This works best with a child who is either on track with or ahead of grade level. This approach is supported by state law, and not that hard to arrange with the schools.
dextermom
Wed, Dec 21, 2011 : 1 p.m.
Regarding finances, aren't we (the school district) paid the same amount by the state for a half day kindergartener as a whole day student, like a second grader or a whole day kindergartener? So, haven't we been using that money on non-kindergarten expenses and now we just have to give it back to the students for whom we get it?
treetowncartel
Wed, Dec 21, 2011 : 3:46 a.m.
oooh, talk about making a social issue, will those other parents talk about those parents that choose to send their kids to kindegarten for a ---- day? Who is the star bellied Sneech now?