Universal all-day-K could be reality in Warwick by 2016

Matt Bower
Posted 3/24/15

The School Committee unanimously passed a resolution last Wednesday encouraging passage of a pair of bills pending in the General Assembly that would increase full-day kindergarten funding by …

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Universal all-day-K could be reality in Warwick by 2016

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The School Committee unanimously passed a resolution last Wednesday encouraging passage of a pair of bills pending in the General Assembly that would increase full-day kindergarten funding by permitting districts that converted to full-day kindergartens to receive full-time credit (1.0) for students in all-day kindergarten.

Currently, kindergarten students only count as .5, regardless of whether kindergartens are run on a full-time or half-day basis. The bills, H-5275 and S-0144, would seek to change that designation, resulting in additional funding for school districts that have implemented full-day kindergarten programs.

According to the resolution, “The Warwick School Committee believes that quality full-day kindergarten programs are a sound educational investment that Rhode Island can make, providing demonstrated, significant, long-term savings on the cost of special education and grade retention.”

School Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Ahearn said Warwick was able to implement full-day kindergarten programs in nine of its elementary schools last year at no cost to the district due to declining enrollment.

“We wanted to create a resolution regarding full-day kindergarten funding for all students,” she said. “There are two bills in the legislature pushing for it.”

The resolution goes on to say that while Warwick is “optimistically projecting delivery of a full-day kindergarten program to all kindergarten students in Warwick by fiscal year 2020,” it could deliver that same program in FY 2016 with passage of the kindergarten funding legislation.

Anthony Ferrucci, chief budget officer for Warwick Public Schools (WPS), said if the General Assembly approves the pending legislation, Warwick would receive $896,000 next year for full-day kindergarten.

“That would provide us with enough resources to anticipate additional staff,” he said.

According to the resolution, while state law provides for a funding formula for education, “School districts and cities and towns have not been given adequate increases in state aid due to the phase-in of the funding formula, making it extremely challenging for districts to find monies to hire the added kindergarten teachers.”

Should the pending legislation not be approved and Governor Gina Raimondo’s proposed budget goes forward, which provides $1.4 million in full-day kindergarten funding for all of Rhode Island next year, Ferrucci said Warwick would only receive $296,000 next year.

“That would leave us $600,000 short in September to do full-day kindergarten throughout the district,” he said.

Ahearn added, “$1.4 million for full-day kindergarten is not enough to cover all districts [in the state], so we’re hoping to have a larger voice to secure additional funding for all-day kindergarten for all students.”

Ferrucci said the $1.4 million figure takes the current funding formula methodology and stretches it out over three years.

Rosemary Healey, human resources director and legal counsel for Warwick schools, said the delayed funding would put the district in the hole financially since Raimondo is looking to mandate universal full-day kindergarten across districts as of September 2016.

“And if we don’t have it, we could lose all our state aid,” she added.

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