Aurora’s schools created all day kindergarten to help families and the kids. But thanks to the Ohio Attorney General ruling everybody will loose.
The Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann released an opinion this month stating, in part, that charging for all-day kindergarten is unlawful. The State mandates a ½ day of kindergarten and helps fund this requirement. It does not require a full day for kindergarten. Aurora City Schools, like many school districts in our region, offered the all-day class because so many parents showed an interest. However, like other districts, Aurora City Schools could only afford to run the program by charging tuition. The district has five all-day classes and does charge a tuition of $2,000 per student to enroll in this class. The funds cover staff, materials and operations.
Superintendent Russ Bennett says the Attorney General’s opinion could cost the district $200,000 in general fund money this year. “We sent a letter home to our all-day kindergarten parents that states we will not collect any further tuition this year and we are waiting to hear from lawmakers as to what we should do with the tuition already in our possession,†says Bennett.
The district has also placed a moratorium on spending and has asked the staff to be especially conservative while using existing funds and resources. For now, the district will wait until the State gives districts a direction regarding the refund of tuitions.
“This was a complete shock to us,†says Bennett. “We, like many other districts, collected tuition for this added service and did so in good faith. We will continue to offer the all-day program for the rest of this school year. We made a commitment to parents and our students and we will honor it no matter what the cost. However, we will have to consider canceling the program for future school years.â€
The school’s website will also keep updates posted regarding this situation and Bennett says he’ll take calls as well. His number is 330-995-7702.
Don’t call it all day kindergarten.
call it half day kidergarten and offer half-day day care.
charge for the half day as you are doing now.
the school already has preschool programs in house.
isn’t it that easy?
Aurora’s schools created all day kindergarten to help families and the kids. But thanks to the Ohio Attorney General ruling everybody will “LOSE.” (correct spelling)
I agree with Olive. Full-day K. could not, under state law, provide students with any “extra” learning time or teach any additional materials to full-day students. It was, in essence, part-time day care. Apart from the financial hit, which admittedly is not small, and the inconvenience to working parents (again, no small consideration), there is no tangible loss in terms of the education provided to K. students. I don’t see this ruling as being quite as catastrophic as some others in the district, and I have a job as well as four small kids. We’ll simply have to find alternative ways to adjust in Aurora and throughout the state.
I disagree with your analysis Lisa. There is a Tangibile loss. What can a kid llearn in 1/2 a day. That is a waste of time. There IS a difference in the amount spent on learning in Full Day vs 1/2 day. It is not just Babysitting. And by the way my daugter reads at a 3rd grade level and is in Kindergarten right now.
Lisa..Do you have kids in Aurora schools?
I think the school board got greedy and new parent in aurora would pay the money and use it to subsidize additional programs. That is why the dollar per student ratio waas so low. For $2000 they should at least put air conditioners in the clasrooms and offer more andvanced learning classes.
I respect your position. I do have kids in Aurora schools. Two this year, one more going to K. next year and one more the year after that. My daughter went to 1/2 day K. and was reading before she started. Last year, in 3rd grade, she was reading at an 11th grade level and is off the charts in terms of her scores on standardized test. A great deal of this may have to do with the reinforcement she receives at home and what she is inately capable of, but she certainly wasn’t hurt by 1/2 day K. Research the facts and you will see that the schools are mandated under state law to teach the same cirriculum to both 1/2 day and full day students. I think it’s important to point out that I am not AGAINST the choice of full-day K., not at all. I was happy that parents were offered the choice in Aurora. I’m just reiterating that the loss to the district was not necessarily an academic one.
I agree with Lisa as I had a child that went to half day K and one that went to full day K. I saw no academic benefit to full day K. As a matter of fact my half dayer has higher test scores than my full dayer. I did see a social benefit. I also know that in my case, full day K made the transition to 1st grade much smoother. Every kid is different and what works for one may not work for others.
Why is it so important to have your kids beyond their grade level? They’ll be so stressed out by the time they’re in middle school. Let them be kids.
I have two students in Aurora Schools, one that went to half day K and one that went to full day K. Full day K was not available when our older son was that age. We chose to send our second son to full day K partially because he would have been going to after school day care anyway, and the tuition was much less than what child care would have been. Again, this is just part of the reason we chose to do this. We also felt that he was ready for a full day of education and that it would certainly benefit him in the long run.
Regarding the AG’s comment that it is “unlawful” to charge for this service, how can it be unlawful to charge for an OPTIONAL service? Parents were not pressured to choose the full day program. It was simply offered if they were interested. Some may argue that this poses an unfair disadvantage for students whose parents may not be able to afford the tuition, but I will argue that point. I would never have been able to afford the lump sum tuition up front, but when I approached the schools about it, they allowed me to pay the tuition in payments throughout the year. This made it much more feasible for me and I was able to budget the cost as I would regular day care payments.
It angers me that the powers that be would suggest that my child received and “unlawful” kindergarten experience, especially since I was the one who chose that path for him. I chose how to spend my money on my child, and I do not feel as if I was taken advantage of by the school, which is what the AG’s comment implies.
I agree with Lisa. An adult has the ability to look and listen for 20 minutes at a time. The fact that some K students read at a 3rd grade level or an 11th grade level is not because the attended K all day. Some of us that do go to work still do come home and step up to reinforce and teach our kids.
This will always keep the community polarized and the answer to this will be somewhere in the middle.
Actually the evidence is pretty overwhelming in favor of mandatory all day in every district that has implemented it. Some kids will be fine no matter what, and some will be behind no matter what, but overall averages have skyrocketed.
For the record, I don’t have an opinion about this and really couldn’t care which way it goes. My kids aren’t in kindergarten yet and I can roll with either option when they are.
1/2 day seems like a waste of resources. Bus the kids for 3-4 hours? So total time spent on learning is …maybe 2 hours? Most people I work with only have a full day in their towns. I’m not overly impressed with the kindergarten curriculum anyway. Kindergarten doesn’t seem very challenging and expectations don’t seem to be very high. There is the attitude that “all the kids will be on the same level in a few years anyway”. : (
Let’s quit with the competitiveness and offer our kids the best education possible. Yeah sure…all the kids are gifted according to the parents… but shouldn’t the kids be treated as such. Who knows what they can accomplish if these great minds are challenged. Plus it is good social development
At Kindergarten these kids should have the maturity and manners to be in school all day. If not they better learn it. 1st grade is all day..where do you draw the line?
I don’t care if you work or stay at home…its about the kids. I want my tax money spent on quality education..not a bunch of recesses.