All-day kindergarten recommended in O.B. Officials tout benefits of program despite its expense BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer Old Bridge school officials are considering bringing full-day kindergarten to the district and could hold a referendum on the matter as early as this fall. The full-day program was discussed in detail Tuesday at a meeting of the Board of Education's Strategic Planning Committee. "It's not going to come free, and it's not going to come that easy," Superintendent of Schools Simon Bosco said. "Our work is really cut out for us on this one." Officials began to deeply investigate the concept for an all-day program last spring, Bosco said. Since that time, bimonthly meetings of five administrators and five teachers have been taking place in order to look into the idea's feasibility. Bosco said academic research overwhelmingly supports the benefits of such a program. "If, in fact, it passes, it will be a tremendous gain for the children of Old Bridge," he said. "Kindergarten is no longer playing in the sandbox; kindergarten is bona fide learning." The committee distributed handouts of research gathered regarding costs, the projected number of students who would enroll, and pros and cons involved with the project. They also created a list of other districts in Middlesex County that have full-day kindergarten programs. Half of the county's 26 districts have such programs, and Bosco said he has heard nothing but good things reported. "At least we know that we are not blazing new territory in the county," Bosco said. The cost estimate was formulated under the assumption that no additional facilities would be needed to launch the program, Bosco said. Including costs of salaries for teachers and para-professionals, as well as supplies, the minimum anticipated start-up would be about $1.75 million, according to the research. "You can see that it is an expensive proposition," Bosco told those in attendance. "I don't know whether or not the demographics of the town would support this level of initiative. One thing is for sure, this is not the kind of initiative we can do without the public's support." Using a 12-year model, school officials calculated averages of the numbers of kindergarten and first-grade students in the district each year. The first-grade numbers were used because many parents enroll their children in private kindergarten programs before sending them to public schools, Bosco said. The research yielded a projected 706 students enrolling in the full-day kindergarten program each year. If the numbers ring true, the program would consist of 29 class sections with 25 students in each. Old Bridge currently has 14 kindergarten classrooms and teachers. An additional 15 classrooms and teachers would be necessary for the program, Bosco said. School officials will look into possibilities for the extra classrooms in existing facilities, in hopes that it will not be necessary to build or purchase new buildings. An architect is a necessary component of this undertaking, Bosco said. The list of pros and cons was formulated by the district's instructional council. Bosco echoed a number of their sentiments at the meeting. Among the positive aspects identified were greater academic achievement and socialization skills; greater ability to identify and help the educationally disadvantaged; and less need for child care as an aid to parents. "While that is not the primary purpose of the public school system, there is no doubt in anybody's mind that it is an important component," Bosco said. Negative aspects of the proposed program centered around the prevailing concern of cost, which encompasses the need for additional teachers, space and transportation. Other added costs would stem from a need for more food services, as well as the need to make existing buildings handicap accessible, according to the handout. Another concern was with the distances some children would have to travel by bus to attend the program. "I'm really hesitant to put a 5-year-old child on a van for 35, 45 minutes," Bosco said. Though there are a number of kinks to be ironed out in the plans, the issue of funding remains at the forefront. Bosco said it is the job of district officials to create a plan that school board members will unanimously support, thereby inspiring more confidence on the part of the public. In terms of the tax increase, Bosco said it would probably amount to about 6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. "You have to remember, this is a very young community," said Board of Education member Matt Sulikowski, who chairs the Strategic Planning Committee. "We're getting the middle class, younger people who are settling down to have families." Sulikowski said state aid is another avenue to consider, although in order to apply, the program would need to include special education students. "I don't see any reason why we should not be able to put this through ... if it's sold right," school board member Annette Hopman said. Hopman said it is important that the public be privy to all of the positive research on programs of this kind, and that the proposed project be explained to them in-depth. "I personally feel it would be the best thing to happen to Old Bridge," Hopman said. Long-time board member Ellen McDermott has pressed for a full-day program for years, touting the various benefits, Hopman said. "I do have to say this," Bosco said. "There has never been this amount of statistical gathering and projection on a full-day kindergarten, because people thought that it was just a pipe dream."