All-day kindergarten discussed at BOE
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Friday, January 13, 2012 - 12:35pm
The Board of Education (BOE) handled several matters of a legal or bureaucratic nature during their Jan. 11 meeting at Korn School and the idea of all-day kindergarten bubbled to the surface several times.
Board members reported that they had been contacted by members of the public on the issue of all-day kindergarten. The sentiments expressed, according to members Nancy Boyle and Merrill Adams, ranged from thrilled at the opportunity to concerned about the potential expense.
During her report, Superintendent Sue Viccaro said it was only a rumor that the district intended to implement all-day kindergarten for the next school year. The subject has come up several times recently. The district conducted a survey to gauge parental opinion on the matter, and two BOE committees, the Curriculum/Achievement and the Finance committees, discussed the idea during their meetings.
Viccaro, who has expressed support for all-day kindergarten at several recent BOE meetings, stated clearly that she was “solely motivated” by the educational opportunities of all-day kindergarten. Half-day kindergarten may not prepare students for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which will replace the Connecticut Mastery Tests (CMTs).
“I feel strongly...that we really need to have all-day K in place; otherwise, we’re going to be doing a disservice to the kids,” Viccaro said, referring to the classes that will face the new curriculum and assessments.
In other news, the BOE voted to accept changes to the described curriculum of 19 different high school classes to follow the district’s accreditation process. The BOE also accepted the Safe School Climate plan to follow new anti-bullying laws and an audit conducted by Blum Shapiro.
New technology, traffic lights and oil tanks
The three elementary schools have each received 10 iPads thanks to a Universal Services grant, Viccaro announced. The district must use these funds to bring technology into the schools. The iPads will have multiple educational applications. Other money from the grant, which is generated from phone bills, will be used to fix wireless “dead spots” at the schools.
The busy intersection of Pickett Lane and Route 17 will get a traffic light in April of 2013. The BOE will have to add $10,000 to the budget for part of the expense.
The BOE declined to authorize the plan to replace oil tanks at Brewster and Memorial schools until they received answers to questions, mainly regarding the differences between the two plans.
The next BOE meeting is Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial School.
