Post by momto4 on Aug 27, 2010 10:33:31 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/2641848,2_1_AU27_BATSKL_S1-100827.article
Enrollment falls as fee goes up for Batavia kindergarten
August 27, 2010
By DENISE LINKE For Sun-Times Media
BATAVIA -- Enrollment in the Batavia School District's full-day kindergarten program dropped by about 25 percent this fall after the district's decision to charge students to participate.
Only 213 families signed up their kindergartners for the program this school year, compared to 290 each of the last several years, said Assistant Superintendent Jan Wright.
Until this year, full-day kindergarten was free, and seats were assigned by lottery because demand for the program far outstripped its capacity. But this year, the district is charging families $250 a month for full-day kindergarten.
"We used to have two sections of full-day kindergarten at every elementary school. The ratio was two-thirds (of kindergartners) in full-day and one-third in half-day. This year it's more like 50-50," Wright said.
District officials originally had proposed cutting full-day kindergarten to help close the budget gap left by unpaid state aid money. The School Board voted in February to retain full-day kindergarten at all the elementary schools, but to charge parents the difference in cost between the full-day and half-day programs.
The board set a fee cap of $250 per month for full-day kindergarten -- the difference in cost per student between the full- and half-day programs. Ironically, that cap might force the district to cut full-day kindergarten in the future, said Wright.
"The $250 fee was set because that's the cost to support the program. Once we look at the cost per pupil now that there are fewer pupils in the program, does the fee still pay the full cost of the program?" she said.
"We will have to see if we want to continue it after we've gone through the budget process and seen what gaps we still have."
Enrollment falls as fee goes up for Batavia kindergarten
August 27, 2010
By DENISE LINKE For Sun-Times Media
BATAVIA -- Enrollment in the Batavia School District's full-day kindergarten program dropped by about 25 percent this fall after the district's decision to charge students to participate.
Only 213 families signed up their kindergartners for the program this school year, compared to 290 each of the last several years, said Assistant Superintendent Jan Wright.
Until this year, full-day kindergarten was free, and seats were assigned by lottery because demand for the program far outstripped its capacity. But this year, the district is charging families $250 a month for full-day kindergarten.
"We used to have two sections of full-day kindergarten at every elementary school. The ratio was two-thirds (of kindergartners) in full-day and one-third in half-day. This year it's more like 50-50," Wright said.
District officials originally had proposed cutting full-day kindergarten to help close the budget gap left by unpaid state aid money. The School Board voted in February to retain full-day kindergarten at all the elementary schools, but to charge parents the difference in cost between the full-day and half-day programs.
The board set a fee cap of $250 per month for full-day kindergarten -- the difference in cost per student between the full- and half-day programs. Ironically, that cap might force the district to cut full-day kindergarten in the future, said Wright.
"The $250 fee was set because that's the cost to support the program. Once we look at the cost per pupil now that there are fewer pupils in the program, does the fee still pay the full cost of the program?" she said.
"We will have to see if we want to continue it after we've gone through the budget process and seen what gaps we still have."