In a district that has big problems that are crying out for
fixes
– low math test scores, harassment of students, gang activity,
poor communication with parents, labor strife, to name a few that
leap to mind – we can’t understand the apparent rush for all-day
kindergarten.
In a district that has big problems that are crying out for fixes – low math test scores, harassment of students, gang activity, poor communication with parents, labor strife, to name a few that leap to mind – we can’t understand the apparent rush for all-day kindergarten.
The Gilroy Unified School District board of trustees approved a 10-year directional plan to implement all-day kindergarten district wide in less than three weeks. What’s the rush? If there were evidence – and none has been presented – that all-day kindergarten would help with any one of those problems, we’d understand implementing it in part of the district.
Are all-day kindergarten advocates afraid that if they wait for data and studies, that they might not support their point of view? Why aren’t district officials even asking parents for their opinions on the matter?
We have to agree with Gilroy Teachers Association president Michelle Nelson, who said, “I think the decision was fiscally irresponsible, premature, and based solely on emotion.”
If careful review of reputable studies of all-day kindergarten programs showed that they benefit students, we would not oppose offering it as an option to parents.
But those studies, if they exist, have not been reviewed by the district. If they exist, we’d like to know which students benefit from all-day kindergarten. Is it best for older kindergartners? Is it best for students from disadvantaged socioeconomic families? Are there students who do not benefit, or who might be harmed, by all-day kindergarten programs?
But that’s just the beginning. We also have to take a cold, clear-eyed look at the cost of the program versus the benefits and compare it with other ways the district could spend those same dollars. Is implementing all-day kindergarten the best way to spend scarce district dollars? We don’t know, because no one’s taken the time to find out.
But the most troubling part of this decision is the districtwide implementation. There’s simply no justification to force a one-size-fits-all kindergarten program on Gilroy’s 5-year-olds. Children mature at different rates, and those differences are especially marked in younger students. We need to offer choice to Gilroy’s families, who are the school district’s customers, not force them into programs that might not fit.
Emotion is the wrong way to make this decision. Careful study of data, a cost-benefit analysis, and options for Gilroy’s youngest students should be the hallmarks of considering all-day kindergarten programs in Gilroy. It’s tragic that is not what Gilroy’s parents, students, teachers and taxpayers got.
