Issue #11: There has been a failure to quantitatively consider the alternative uses of the money that would be allocated to all-day Kindergarten. This statement could be incorrect. It is possible that behind closed doors, the Administration and the Board of Education have quantitatively considered all the alternative uses of $196,948 and have done a full return on investment (ROI) analysis. The Superintendent alludes to a quantitative comparison process on her blog: “We have carefully planned implementations, we have not acquired resources we desperately need in place of greater priorities, such as technology." Unfortunately, the reports associated with these careful planning sessions do not appear to be posted for public review and thoughtful consideration.

Right off the bat, one has to ask: “What desperately needed resources are being sacrificed so that the Administration can implement a $196,948 non-required program??”

Issue #10: There has been questionable judgment regarding their presentation of budget impacts to all parents in the school system and to local residents without children in the system.

UPDATED:  There is considerable new information included in this issue discussion, and all readers should pay careful attention to some recently uncovered facts.  In fact, some disturbing new data just came in at 6:30 tonight that residents need to be aware of!

Issue #9: There is a lack of diligence considering alternative measures to achieve desired outcomes. This issue is a bit challenging. Obviously we hoped that desired outcomes would be presented in a more quantifiable manner. But apparently that is not how the Administration and the BOE choose to operate. From the BOE presentations, the public likely concludes that the desired outcome of all-day Kindergarten is “readiness” and the teaching of “literacy, math, science and social studies” because “the standards have changed dramatically for Kindergarten in just the last three years”. In fact the “number of standards required for mastery has increased exponentially” (All quotes are from the Superintendent.)

Issue #8: There is a constant shifting of reference points.  The BOE (with the exception of the two members who voted “No” on the budget) and the Administration seem to regularly shift reference points without providing clear explanation as to why one reference point is more relevant than another for the topic they’re discussing.

There should ALWAYS be justification for reference points, size of data set, type of data set, etc., as well as some clarification of any potential flaws in the statistical comparison being explained.

Issue #7: There is lack of consideration for all the motivations that make this program appear desirable. The BOE and the Administration state that the primary reason for implementing an all-day Kindergarten program is to better prepare students for the increased academic standards they will face as compared to students of the past. They should be commended for “taking the high road,” but in truth, don’t we need to consider that some of the parents might have other motivations for wanting all-day Kindergarten?