All-day kindergarten not taxpayers' duty

A petition signed by 200 parents, I'm assuming with kindergarten age or soon to be of that age children, has been submitted to the school board of District 46 to implement all-day kindergarten.

The district does offer a full-day program at a tuition cost of $3,600. President Obama offers up a "free" community college program so it's not a stretch that a "free" kindergarten would be on the docket.

District Superintendent Ellen Cordell has estimated, if implemented the extended-day, tuition-free kindergarten would blow a $621,000 hole in the district's budget. That is a first-year estimate.

Using numbers provided by the district's business manager, the deficit would include the tuition fees of $388,000. Simple math would indicate 107 children are now participating in the current tuition-supported all-day kindergarten.

What are the projections for the next five years for kindergarten enrollments? If the first-year loss is $621,000, what are the projected losses over the course of the next five years? How much will the district ask for in property tax increases to wipe out the projected deficit? Can the district and school board guarantee another administrator, assistant administrator and other bureaucracy building positions won't be added to "support" this program?

I'd like to save $3,600 a year, but I wouldn't ask my fellow property tax payers to subsidize that savings, which is what we are now being subjected to by parents that don't wish to pay their current daycare bills.

"It takes a village ..." should translate into "the village keeps on taking."

Steve Sarich

Grayslake