Posted: Oct. 9, 2009 |(0) Comments

Muskego — After 18 months, the Muskego-Norway School Board is again looking into providing kindergarten for 4-year-olds. The board voted the idea down a year and a half ago, but Superintendent Joseph Schroeder said the state aid picture has changed so much that another look is needed.

Not having a K4 will mean state aid will continue to slip away, he told the board at its work session last week. But having a program would turn that around and actually increase state aid, he said. And that would help keep the district's program strong because it would help it avoid making budget cuts, he said.

School officials anticipate a $600,000 revenue shortfall every year that increased aid for K4 could virtually wipe away by the 2011-2012 school year, he said. State aid was slashed this year for school districts all around the state, and schools, including Muskego-Norway, are facing potential cutbacks, Schroeder said.

Also, having a K4 program would help Muskego-Norway attract new families, many of whom are looking for a kindergarten for their 4-year-olds, Schroeder said. A School District that is in demand keeps property values up, officials have said. About 75 percent of Wisconsin School Districts offer K4, officials said.

The board is looking into offering a K4 program for parents who want it, at local preschool providers. The district would control the curriculum and possibly the hiring to ensure a quality program, under the proposal.

While the board asked for more information, members expressed concerns. Concerns included that the district would be locked into paying for the program if state aid is pulled back even farther, whether it is right to have the state pay for a program that may not have demonstrated educational value and that is available in the community and whether the preschools can absorb the estimated 320 children who would be eligible for K4.

A pilot program is proposed for the first year with full implementation in three years.

The cost of a pilot would be an estimated $585,756. Full implementation is expected to cost $943,508 per year. An additional $7 million in state aid over three years is also anticipated.

Tammy Kapp, intervention coordinator and former Muskego Elementary School principal, said that in a recent survey, about 90 percent of respondents said they would enroll their children in a kindergarten for 4-year-olds.

NEXT STEP

WHAT: possible School Board consideration of starting a kindergarten for 4-year-olds

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26

WHERE: Educational Services Center, W18763 Woods Road