An article published in the Orange County Register on Feburary 17 states that the Capistrano Unified School District has proposed eliminating kindergarten entirely from all of the districts schools. The proposed cut would eliminate 119 teachers, saving the district nearly 9 million dollars a year. Parents in the districts are obviously concerned and question the legality of the proposed cut.
The problem is that the legal lines in this case are blurry. According to the article, "State laws do not explicitly say whether school districts are required to offer kindergarten, according to the California Department of Education." However, other sections of the legal code contradict the prior statement causing parents and educators alike to question the validity of the possible cut.
I could not imagine what hardships both students and teachers would face if Kindergarten programs were removed from schooling. Children who do not attend preschool are usually well behind their peers upon the entrance of Kindergarten and have a difficult time catching up. Could you imagine how far behind our students would be if Kindergarten was not mandatory as well?
What are your feelings about this possible elimination of kindergarten?
What are the consequences for students and parents short term? Long term?
Do you see the offering of Kindergarten as a legal obligation of the districts? The state?
What are the consequences for students and parents short term? Long term?
Do you see the offering of Kindergarten as a legal obligation of the districts? The state?
As I was reading this article I was blown away. I nevevr thought that budget cuts would ever go this far. Kindergarten is an extremely important class. Like stated above children that do not attend pre-school are areay behind, I can not even imagine an area without Kindergarten. I think that Kindergarten is just one of the manty essential steps a child needs in the learning atmosphere. Although some think that you just paint and play in kindergarten there is actual a lot more that goes into teaching a Kindergarten class. Yes, it could be a lot of fun and games for children but they are already learning so much to prepare them for first grade. The are learning the essentials to advancing to the nxt level. I think that if Kindergarten was taken out of the school system it woud negatively affect so many children.
ReplyDeleteI have such great memories of my kindergarten experience, I couldn't imagine taking that away from kids. Kindergarten holds significant preparation for the later grades as far as classroom structure and expectations go. It also allows to kids to see that learning can be fun and hands on, not to mention the social value students get at that level. Without such preparation, the transition into first grade could be dramatic.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way that kindergarten should be cut because of budget problems. It just makes me mad that education is not valued enough to be protected from economic problems. I would expect some serious consequences for students without the experience of kindergarten. The Pre-school and kindergarten years are where children first interact with others not in the family, children play, children learn, and children learn what the expectations are for students. Kindergarten should be a legal obligation nationwide.
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