Batavia considering charging for (previously free) kindergarten

Full-day kindergarten soon may no longer be free in Batavia public schools.

The school district, which has offered the program since 2001, is considering charging $250 a month for the extra education this fall.

That's because while state money nearly covered the program in full when it started, it no longer does, said Jan Wright, the district's associate superintendent for teaching and learning.

"Illinois has a real interesting way of funding its schools," Wright said, explaining the state has reduced Batavia's aid because of the ability of local taxpayers to foot the bill for schools.

This year, more than 280 students attend full-day kindergarten at the district's six elementary schools. There are two sections at each school. It is taught by the equivalent of 12 full-time teachers.

The district took the current teachers' salary and benefits, added a cushion for raises due to continuing education and advances in seniority, then divided it by the amount of students, to come up with the $250 fee.

As nice as it is to have full-day kindergarten, it isn't a necessity. Illinois law requires public schools to only offer half-day sessions. Students are not required to attend kindergarten at all; they don't have to show up at school until age 7.

Wright said that this week she will be notifying parents who are signed up for the district's e-mail system about the proposed change. The board will vote on it Feb. 23. Kindergarten preview sessions are Feb. 24 and 25.

Parent Ellen Knautz has had two children attend full-day, and is preparing to send a third. She doesn't like the idea of the extra costs, but noted she was spending close to that for preschool and a "Mom's Day Out" program each month for her child. For comparison's sake, she said she called a local day-care center to find out what it would cost for an afternoon of care, and was told $150 a week. The Batavia Park District's Kids' Club program charges $355 a month for five days a week of after-school care.

She wondered, however, if the school district's program could be cheaper if less-experienced teachers were used.

"I'm OK with covering the cost of the program," she said, as long as it isn't viewed as a moneymaker to subsidize other programs.

Some of the full-day students are those receiving special education, whose individualized education programs, or IEPs, call for a full day of services. It does not include students in an early-literacy enrichment program for students at risk of not meeting standards.

Wright noted that while full-day kindergartners achieve slightly higher scores in reading than half-day students, and appear to adjust more easily to the physical demands of first grade, teachers report that by the second semester of first grade, no differences are apparent. And by second grade there are no differences in reading or mathematics achievement between the two groups.

Some families would not be charged the proposed fee, including:

• Special education students whose IEP requires a full day of services;

• Those eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches;

• Those eligible for fee waivers;

• Those who are assessed as at risk of academic failure.

Parents would have to request full-day kindergarten by March 19. The district would then determine the staff needed for each option. Each school can accommodate 45 full-day students. Lotteries would be held if more request it, and parents not picked for the lottery could enroll their child at a school that had an opening.

Not many suburban school districts offer full-day kindergarten, according to a list prepared by the Illinois Association of School Boards. Neither neighboring Geneva, nor Kaneland, school districts offer it. St. Charles District 303 does - and it charges $250.

"At a time where we are really in some real financial concern, we have to weigh and evaluate the effectiveness of our programs," and start looking at charging fees for optional programs, Wright said.