By Aaron Vehling

The schedules of families in the North Branch Area School District could change if the board votes at its meeting March 10 to make Kindergarten a half-day, every-day affair.

Primary school principal Jan Fischer proposed the change to the board and select district administrators Feb. 24 at a work session. Currently, kindergartners in the district attend a full day of classes, every other day.

Fischer told work session attendees that she stumbled upon something startling when she was looking at next yearís calendar: over the course of January, February and March the students would attend only 27 days of school.

ìThe goal of looking at a half-day Kindergarten is to provide a program that is consistent and focused,î Fischer said. All-day, every-day kindergarten would be the most consistent method, she admitted, but she noted that the district lacked the resources for that method. Students attending kindergarten for a half a day all week is the next best thing, she said.

The idea of half-day, every-day kindergarten is not new to the district. It was not more than six years ago that this was the how the program was structured, said assistant superintendent Rodney Reisnouer.

What makes Fischerís proposal different is the inclusion of a Community Education program as a supplement to the standard kindergarten curriculum.

Students would attend the standard kindergarten class for half of the day, where they would learn reading, writing and math. The second half of the day would be spent in a Community Ed program at Main Street School, where the students would be able to exercise their social and activity skills.

The Community Ed portion would be an additional cost of about $50 a week, said Jeanne Leland, director of Community Ed, but the district would look into offering scholarships to those families who could not afford the extra cost.

School board member Kim Salo liked the idea of changing the schedule. ìItís cheap day care,î she said, ìand I agree, at five years old consistency is key.î

Board member Donna Hubbard was reluctant to jump onboard the idea of switching the kindergarten schedule.
Hubbard, who has a child in kindergarten, said she liked the idea of kids going to class a full-day because they were able to take advantage of computer time, lunch and other perks.

ìI canít imagine a kindergartner getting all that packed into their brains in two-and-a-half hours,î she said. She added that when full-day kindergartners attend first grade they are already used to a day-long routine.

Board member Donna Setter was concerned that some children could fall behind others.

ìI am concerned this would widen the achievement gap between the haves and have-nots,î she said.

Fischer said that while such a thing is possible, it is not too likely.

ìWhat is essential will be taught during kindergarten (class time): reading, language and math,î she said.

Board chairwoman Mary Jo Ahlgren wondered how the change would fall into the district's new strategic plan.

ìIf we decide to do it we need to make it very clear what our intentions are and what parents can expect,î she said.

One of the components of the strategic plan, Ahlgren told Fischer, is that the board can measure success. She wondered how performance could be measured based on the change in schedule.

Fischer said she would look into it and will also look into possibilities regarding funding and grants for the extracurricular program.

The board members will continue discussions on the issue at their Thursday (March 3) work session and will vote on it at their March 10 meeting.

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