Granby School Board Considers Funding All-Day Kindergarten

As is typical with the proposed addition of a new program, the main challenge facing the Granby Board of Education regarding all-day kindergarten is how the school district will pay for the program.

During a continuation of its discussion of its so-called “Plus One Budget” for fiscal year 2013 at a special meeting on Tuesday evening, members of the school board mulled, among other things, how, and whether, to extend the kindergarten program from half day to full day, while minimizing the impact on the town’s taxpayers.

In November, the school board approved the principle of adding all-day kindergarten, but declined to address how or whether it would fund the program.

Superintendent of Schools Alan Addley recently proposed funding the all-day kindergarten program through the use of the town’s quality and diversity fund, which is comprised of money that the town receives through the schools’ Open Choice program.

The all-day program would cost $714,000, or about $317,000 more than the current half-day model, as 3.5 new teaching positions would have to be added, according to Addley. Using the quality and diversity fund to pay for the cost increase would keep the program increase out of the operating budget, thereby blunting the immediate potential tax increase. Addley projected that the town would receive $614,000 from the Open Choice program in 2013.

But several school board members expressed their concerns with the creative use of the funds.

Ed Ohannessian questioned whether using Open Choice funds for all-day kindergarten was legally permissible due to certain restrictions that are attached how that money can be spent.

Along the same lines, Jen Emery asked whether, for transparency purposes, all-day kindergarten belonged in the operating budget.

“If we are going to buy all-day kindergarten, then let’s buy it,” Emery said. “If we’re there, then we’re there.”

Ben Perron and Matt Wutka were also concerned with whether the Open Choice contributions from the state, which recently increased significantly, would continue beyond 2013 given the budget difficulties that the state faces.

“We’re playing with it with the quality and diversity fund, but this quality and diversity fund can stop tomorrow,” Wutka said.

School board Chairman Cal Heminway said that, given the advances that have been made at the state level with regard to funding under the settlement reached in the landmark Sheff v. O’Neill lawsuit, it would be highly unlikely that the state would subsequently cut that money.

Furthermore, Addley said that putting all-day kindergarten in the operating budget would effectively mean that the proposal would die on the vine.

“It’s the kiss of death if you put it in the operating budget,” said Addley, who added that using the quality and diversity fund to pay for all-day kindergarten would be in line with the supplemental purpose of Open Choice money.

But Wutka further added that the funds used for all-day kindergarten out of quality and diversity could be used for other programs, such as expansion of the world languages program in the school district.

Heminway said that if the superintendent wanted the program, then, ultimately, the board should defer to to his judgment, which Emery said she would do.

No decision was made on the issue, and the school board agreed to further discuss the budget at its next meeting on Feb. 1.