District
considering all-day kindergarten
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 • By
ANDREA EILENBERGER • The
Express-Times
MANSFIELD TWP. -- The township school
district is considering switching to a full-day kindergarten
program next year to bolster students' academic skills at an
early age and administrators are seeking public input on the
possible change.
The evaluation is one of the
administrators and board of education's goals for this
school year, and they are launching a feasibility study on
the possible change. During a special meeting Monday night,
district Superintendent Rita Seipp encouraged the group of
about 30 parents to offer their questions and concerns and
to join one of the project's committees.
"I would love to see this happen," Seipp
said. "But this is your child's education, and parents have
to determine what is best for them."
First-grade assessments, which are mostly
reading assessments, show the district's first-graders
aren't at the "level they could be," Seipp said.
"We would like them to be moved on
further," she said. "Academics is the major reason to do
this."
The district enrolls about 100 new
kindergarten students each year and employs three teachers
to handle the five sections of half-day kindergarten. Seipp
estimated the district would need to hire about two
additional teachers to adequately staff a full-day
schedule.
"There is a great chance (switching to a
full-day program) would have an impact on the budget," she
said.
She could not offer an idea of how much
it would affect the budget, but did say the school building
could accommodate the full-day schedule and that she found
room for "tweaking" in the budget that wouldn't directly
affect education. She noted limiting the number of field
trips a class takes to three as one "tweaking"
method.
"I am very much for it," said township
resident Darrell Haytaian, who has a 3-year-old and a
1-year-old. "I don't mind spending money if it is on things
that directly impact education."
The in-house feasibility study, conducted
by administrators, parents and community members will not
pose any cost to the district, Seipp said. She expects to
have one committee to design a community-wide survey, one to
revise the curriculum, one to review the school's facility
and one to handle public relations.
The survey will help guide the
recommendation Seipp will make to the board of education,
and she expects to have a decision by the end of November or
the beginning of December.
While the full-day curriculum would be
mostly academic, it would also include social and
development aspects for the young students, Seipp
said.
One group of concerned mothers who has
some children in the district and some who will be entering
it shortly, say they support the switch as long as the full
day is put to good use.
"The curriculum needs to be strong enough
to make an impact on the children," said Jaimie Westley, a
township resident who has a child in the district and one
who will enter it next year.
She said she hopes parents don't see the
full-day schedule as an opportunity for day care, but for a
real chance to build and expand reading, writing and math
skills.
"I want the full day, but only with the
strong curriculum," said Nancy Harasymchuk. "I'm curious as
to what the balance is."
Anyone with questions or who is
interested in joining a committee can contact Seipp at
seippr@warrrennet.org.
Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at
908-475-8044 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.
© 2005 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
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