District 62 candidates support all-day kindergarten, but some have concerns
All the candidates for seats on the Des Plaines School District 62 board believe all-day kindergarten classes should be an option for families, but some have questions.
Five candidates are seeking three seats with 4-year terms on the board in the April 4 election: incumbents Tina Garrett, Elizabeth Massa and Beth Morley; and challengers Gene Haring and Patrick Maag.
Most of the candidates spoke about expanding kindergarten classes and other issues in a joint online interview. Maag skipped the session but answered questions via email.
Illinois public schools don't have to offer all-day kindergarten classes - and many don't.
In 1995, the District 62 board approved an all-day pilot program for one class of kindergartners at Forest Elementary. Parents who enrolled their children in the full-day option financed the additional costs.
Administrators at Cumberland and Terrace elementary schools also investigated launching full-day kindergarten programs, but the effort didn't take hold.
The school board hasn't had any recent, formal discussions about all-day kindergarten, a district spokeswoman said.
Haring, a marketing professional, said all-day kindergarten is the best way for kids to develop social skills and instill a lifelong love of learning.
"I think it would be money well spent," he said.
Keeping students in school for more hours per day also benefits parents, Haring said.
"It's hard to (be) two working parents and have kids, and to have to find people to take care of them, especially the way the workforce is changing," Haring said.
Massa, a stay-at-home parent who was appointed to the board in 2021, enthusiastically supported the idea, saying students would benefit from the additional socialization and services, especially those in special education programs.
But Massa raised several questions, including whether building expansions would be required to accommodate the classes or if they should be offered at a separate building. She also doesn't know if the district can afford it.
"That is tough," Massa said. "I would absolutely need to see numbers."
Morley, a senior project manager with a health and welfare fund who joined the board in 2015, believes the district can afford expanded kindergarten. She said it's one of the reasons she originally ran for the board.
Officials began talking in earnest about all-day kindergarten in 2019, Morley said, but the concept wasn't received favorably by the board and discussions never progressed.
"We definitely should do whatever needs to be done to make that happen," Morley said.
Garrett, an insurance agent who's been on the board since 2017, noted all-day kindergarten was included as a goal in the district's last strategic plan. She said half-day kindergarten can be difficult for poorer families who may have to pay for day care or half-day kindergarten in private programs for the rest of the day.
"Half of our district can't afford that," she said. "It's really unfair to say your kid doesn't get the education my kid gets because I have money."
Maag, a teacher in Hinsdale Township High School District 86, called all-day kindergarten "an excellent idea" and said officials should explore every opportunity to make it happen.
But he also voiced concern about how the multifamily housing developments being built in the city will affect enrollment.