Proposed Full-Day Kindergarten Plans Unveiled For Bridgewater-Raritan Referendum

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — While it is still very early in the process, a proposed plan was unveiled to make room for a full-day kindergarten program at Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Schools. This is part of the referendum that will go up for a vote in March 2023.

Superintendent Robert Beers and Alexis Goldman of Solutions Architecture presented the proposed plan at the April 26 Board of Education meeting.

"This is very, very preliminary. We just started looking at this," said Goldman. "Just keep that in mind. It has a long way to go."

Overall the plan to accommodate the program would be to move sixth-graders from the Intermediate Schools to the Middle School.

Primary schools would then house students from kindergarten through third grade, Intermediate schools would have fourth and fifth graders, and the Middle School would have sixth through eighth grades. This is not something new as the sixth graders had originally been a part of the middle school around 20 years ago.

"This shift would provide four additional classrooms to primary schools thus creating space needed in those buildings to provide full-day kindergarten," said Beers.

In order to accommodate the sixth graders at the middle school, the plan proposes to build an addition with 15 classrooms.

Those classrooms would include three science labs, three cycle classrooms (such as a STEM lab and a music room), two specialized classrooms (for small group instruction and a resource room), and a few noninstructional spaces for guidance counselors and offices.

The plan to add to the middle school versus creating additions at each of the seven primary schools has several benefits, according to Beers and Goldman.

Benefits included limiting noise and inconvenience to one school building, the cost is less for one addition versus seven, allowing John F. Kennedy and Crim Schools to have more space they already needed, and could even allow space at the primary schools to house Pre-K.

"So hypothetically if we were to go in and put an addition in every single elementary building the only group of students this would really help are kindergarteners or families with kindergarteners," said Beers. "With this approach, we are providing full-day kindergarten for the district but at the same time have the opportunity to enhance a lot of the programs we already have in our district."

Specifically, programs such as cycle programs, STEM programs, accelerated programs, Special Ed, fine art and music, extra curriculum, and athletics would all be able to be enhanced.

Along with the addition at the middle school, smaller modifications would be made to primary schools such as adding bathrooms for the kindergarteners at the primary schools and renovating the locker rooms, library and cafeteria at the middle school.

In total, the project is estimated to cost around $29 million.

Beers noted that this plan from an instructional standpoint "makes a ton of sense" as the sixth fifth graders are currently on different learning schedules which causes issues at the Intermediate Schools.

"I honestly almost fell out of my chair of happiness at the proposal of moving sixth grade back to the middle school. I am not even kidding," said Laura Kress, president of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association. "Everything you mentioned up here. Amen. It is a nightmare at the intermediate schools with the scheduling of running a primary and middle school in the same building. We can't share services since everyone is on a different schedule."

The shift at the middle school would bring in around 500 to 600 more students, which Board Member Barry Walker raised concerns about.

"Traffic is going to be an issue I feel," said Walker.

"It's going to be a nightmare," said Board Member AJ Joshi.

Beers noted at the meeting that there is plenty of time to work on a plan for traffic.

"We are looking at a best case scenario, best case, this is ready to go in September 2025, might be 2026. Most likely 2026. We have two to three years to rally a plan for all of these things whether it is traffic patterns, etc.," said Beers.

Board Member Jennifer Loughran also recalled that she attended high school when it was first combined and they were able to make it work.

"The idea that we are enhancing the middle school which is where the vast majority of students will pass through... we really have this opportunity to impact the greatest majority of students in the district and in addition to that, we are solving this 50-year problem of not having kindergarten, said Loughran.

"And potentially having space to host Pre-K. I think that while anytime asking taxpayers to pay more money will be met with some opinions... we owe it to the same taxpayers to give them the best possible outcome for their money and I think this solution is at least a start to addressing that," said Loughran.

Goldman expects this plan to be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Education for review around May 11 along with the district's other referendum question to improve infrastructure at school buildings and facilities which is proposed to have a zero tax impact.

The referendum in March 2023 will have two questions, one for the facility improvements and one for the full-day kindergarten. The facility improvements must be approved in order for full-day kindergarten to be approved.

To see the full presentation see below beginning at around 1:01:26:

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