School Board Votes Down All-Day, Full-Day Kindergarten

By James Lomuscio

UPDATE The Westport Board of Education tonight rejected by a 6 to 1 vote a proposal from Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon to institute all-day, full-day kindergarten.
Board of Education Chairman Don O’Day (c) addresses tonight’s board meeting as Vice Chairman James Marpe (l) and Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon listen. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The vote—one of three taken on the issue—was on whether to begin the program in 2010-2011 with an “opt out” provision. It came after most of the 28 parents who addressed the board decried the proposal, arguing that it would add to children’s stress levels, depriving them of childhood.

Five said they favored it, including Sheri Rabiner-Gordon who said: “I beg you to consider the fact that there are a lot of parents in Westport who are strongly in favor of five days. They just don’t happen to be here because they read in WestportNow that the recommendation is being made and they think it’s a done deal.”

Vice Chairman James Marpe was the only dissenting vote.

The board did agree to revisit a proposal floated by board member Elaine Whitney to enhance the existing kindergarten program via smaller class sizes.

Currently, kindergarten operates Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., with Monday and Friday classes held from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Landon said he had unanimous support from administrators, principals and kindergarten teachers and hoped to have the program run until 2:45 p.m. five days a week. It was his fourth attempt during his 11-year tenure, and it was met with strong parental opposition.

“We will be able to offer our kindergarten students additional time in the critical areas of reading, writing, handwriting, math and the discrete areas of social studies and science, more time in music, more time for choice, and more time for the development of social skills,” Landon told the school board.

Many who spoke at tonight’s meeting, however, told a different story. One was Elizabeth Baldwin, a child psychologist.

“We’re putting them at risk for behavioral and emotional difficulties,” she said, noting that over scheduled children have increased stress, anxiety and depression. “There’s no time for play dates at home.”

Baldwin also contested Landon’s compromise that parents could “opt out” of the five-day plan and send their children all-day only three days a week. She said it would divide the students, and those who attended only three days would feel they were missing out.

“I have a petition here signed by 99 families that are strongly opposed to this,” she said to a round of applause.

Another parent who spoke was Rene Martin who said that after the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday extended days, “My son last year was very tired when he got off the bus.”

“There’s a lot of fatigue,” she said, stressing the need for children to have time for their own unstructured play, “like digging in the dirt and looking for worms.”

The three board votes on all-day kindergarten took different forms. The initial proposal to begin offering a five-day, full-day kindergarten beginning in 2010-11 failed to receive a motion from any board member, so no vote was taken.

Board members acknowledged that the timing of the administration’s proposal did not give parents the option of finding alternative kindergarten or pre-K arrangements because many alternative programs are already subscribed by now.

Then came the vote on introducing five-day, full-day kindergarten in 2010-11 with a provision to opt out of the two extra full days. This recognized that parents who might object to that schedule will not have sufficient time to find a suitable option given the lateness of the proposal. This was the proposal defeated 6-1.

The next proposal was to offer five-day, full-day kindergarten beginning in 2011-12 without any options. That proposal was defeated 4-3.

The final vote was on the proposal to offer five-day, full-day kindergarten in 2011-12 but to “ease in” to the transition each year by offering the current program (three full days, two extended) for the first four to six weeks of the school year. That proposal was also defeated 4-3.

Board member Sandy DeFelice withdrew her motion that would introduce five-day, full-day kindergarten in 2011-12 with the ability to opt out to a three-day / two-day program.

The board will likely revisit Whitney’s proposal which is a modification of the current schedule as part of its goals and objectives in the coming year.

Following the kindergarten agenda item, the board took up the administration’s proposed budget changes that would achieve the additional $500,000 budget reduction that has been approved by the Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting (RTM)

There was a lengthy discussion regarding each of the proposed items.  Because many of the proposals involved personnel reductions, the administration is anxious to get approval so that the individuals involved can be notified on a timely basis in order to seek other employment opportunities as soon as possible.

Individual board members offered some initial thoughts on alternatives to achieve the reductions, but given the relatively late hour, it was decided to convene a special meeting of the board sometime in the next 10 days in order to fully vet alternative proposals and to have a more complete discussion.

The one proposed personnel reduction that drew public opposition involved a part-time secretarial / clerical position in the Staples High School Music Department The position also serves music programs throughout the school system and, therefore, is budgeted through the Curriculum Center.

Alice Lipson, retiring director of the Staples vocal music programs, and David DeVoll, president of the Staples Music Parents organization, spoke on behalf of retaining that position and its importance to delivering a quality music instruction and programs throughout the district.

Finally, the board voted to support the Connecticut State Board of Education’s application to receive federal education funding in Phase II of the Race to the Top initiative.

The Department of Education is looking to see that the school boards throughout the country that are applying for these funds are committed to supporting the education reforms that the Secretary of Education and President Obama believe are essential to improve the quality of education throughout the United States.