Some local schools plan all-day kindergarten

By KRISTI ALBERTSON

The Daily Inter Lake

As the school year winds down, many Flathead County school districts already are gearing up for next year with plans to add or expand all-day kindergarten programs.

At least five of the county's 19 districts plan to initiate full-day programs this fall, bringing the total number of districts with all-day kindergarten up to 11. Three districts - Kila, Olney-Bissell and West Glacier - will vote on full-day kindergarten during their June board meetings.

The Helena Flats School Board unanimously approved full-day kindergarten during a special meeting May 30.

The district has offered a half-day, Montessori-based "kindergarten enrichment" program for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds for several years. Now, instead of charging tuition for the program, the district will initiate all-day kindergarten.

Children too young for kindergarten still may be allowed to continue the enrichment program, District Clerk Tonnie Decker said. Their attendance, however, will be based on how much space is available after the kindergarteners enroll.

Space is one reason the Evergreen School District decided to implement all-day kindergarten, Superintendent Joel Voytoski said.

"It actually has been in our plans since we added space to both facilities a couple of years ago," he said. "We're fortunate enough because of some preplanning to have the space available. Logistically, it works really well for us."

Kalispell School District is in a similar situation, District Clerk Todd Watkins said.

When Glacier High School opens this fall, there will be room for Kalispell's ninth-graders to attend Glacier or Flathead High and for the district's sixth-graders to move to Kalispell Middle School.

Sixth-graders currently attend elementary schools in Kalispell.

Starting this fall, elementary schools will be for kindergarten through fifth-grade students, creating room to implement full-day kindergarten.

Columbia Falls will offer all-day kindergarten at two of its three elementary schools.

"We really don't have classroom space at Ruder for additional kindergarteners," Superintendent Michael Nicosia said. "All additional in-town classes will be at Glacier Gateway."

Kindergarten students who will move to Ruder the following year will be kept together, he said, so they will be familiar with their peers when they move to a new school. Other students will have an all-day program at Canyon Elementary.

Marion School also is implementing all-day kindergarten this fall. The school currently offers a half-day program; in the afternoon, the kindergarten teacher is the school's Title 1 tutor. Because of the transition, the school will hire a new tutor, Head Teacher Kris Queen said.

Lakeside Elementary must hire new employees to expand its all-day kindergarten program this fall, District Clerk Diane Fetterhoff said. Some staff shuffling already has taken place, so the exact number of new hires isn't certain yet.

Thanks to a special grant, the Somers/Lakeside district was able to offer one section of all-day kindergarten this year. Next year, Lakeside will have at least two full-day and two half-day sections, Fetterhoff said.

Cayuse Prairie and Smith Valley also implemented all-day kindergarten during the 2006-07 school year. Fair-Mont-Egan's all-day program was actually an afternoon day care; parents could pay tuition if they wanted their kindergarteners to stay for the afternoon, Head Teacher Christine Schmidt-Anthony said.

All three districts have applied for one-time startup money set aside by the state Legislature. During its special session, the Legislature approved $38 million for all-day kindergarten, $10 million of which was set aside as one-time money for initiating full-day programs. Districts have until 2012 to collect this money.

The remaining $28 million goes toward the per-student funding that makes up the bulk of each school district's budget. Until now, the state Office of Public Instruction has counted kindergarteners as half-time students, even if they attend all-day programs.

Starting this fall, schools offering all-day kindergarten will receive the same per-student funding for kindergartners as they do for other students.

Pleasant Valley School may benefit a little - very little - from the per-student increase but doesn't plan to apply for the one-time money.

"We should have one kindergartener this fall, but we never know until the doors open," District Clerk Kathy Jackson said. "With only one student, if we don't get the funding, it's not critical."

Bigfork Elementary School will use the one-time money for books, supplies and improving its kindergarten space, Superintendent Russell Kinzer said. This year's 60 kindergarten students were divided into three classes but all shared one common room separated into thirds by special dividers.

Like other districts offering all-day programs, Bigfork allows parents to enroll their kindergarteners for half days.

During the 2007-08 school year, half days will be kindergarteners' only option in the Creston, Deer Park, Swan River, West Valley and Whitefish districts.

At West Valley, it's simply an issue of available space, Superintendent Todd Fiske said. The school currently has one empty classroom and is already planning to move from two to three first-grade classrooms this fall.

"It all comes down to classroom space," he said. "It's not that we're not in agreement with it."

At Swan River School, parent input was a major factor in keeping a half-day program.

"Right now, as far as the parents and the community, they really like the fact of having a half day," kindergarten teacher Susan Stephens said. "Right now we have out-of-district students coming to our schools because we do offer half-day."

Based on informal polls taken during the district's kindergarten roundup, most parents in Creston seem to have the same mindset, Principal Judi Hewitt said.

"There were only two, maybe three, that were interested in all-day at that point," she said.

The districts that won't offer full-day programs next year are open to implementing it in the future, however.

"Deer Park is not going to initiate an all-day kindergarten this year," Principal Dennis Haverlandt said. "Mainly because the Legislature took so long in making decisions and making the funding available that we would be hard-pressed to find a person to fill the position. But we are very seriously looking at instigating it next year."

The Whitefish School District plans to use the upcoming school year to find out what parents want, Superintendent Jerry House said.

"We want to use our community to get their input," he said. "We can make an arbitrary decision, but then be out of alignment with what the community wants."

"We're not taking this as a light task," he added, "not taking it as a rush, rush job."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com