Full-Day Kindergarten Secure In Toms River Schools For 2020-2021

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Full-day kindergarten will remain in place for the 2020-2021 school year in the Toms River Regional School District, Superintendent David Healy announced Wednesday.

The announcement came among growing speculation and worries in the community about what will be cut in the school budget as the district wrestles with a $4.3 million cut in state aid. The district has said the cut will force drastic cuts to maintain academic programs, and that non-mandated programs are at risk.

"We understand there has been much speculation regarding the status of our full-day kindergarten program in 2020-2021, and rightly so considering our current fiscal situation resulting from state bill S2," Healy wrote. "However, we are happy to inform our school community that full-day K is remaining in place for the 2020-2021 school year."

The state does not mandate that public school districts provide kindergarten, either as a half-day or full-day program. The Toms River school district, which encompasses Toms River, Beachwood, Pine Beach and South Toms River, moved to full-day kindergarten throughout district in the 2015-16 school year. Until then, the district offered half-day programs in all of the district's schools except South Toms River, where full-day kindergarten was provided for years before that. South Toms River is the most economically disadvantaged school in the district, with 65 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches. The kindergarten program for that school was funded through a federal grant for years.

Healy said registration dates will be announced soon and that parents are encouraged to register early to maximize the chance their child is placed in a kindergarten class in their home school.

Registration will take place at the district's 12 elementary schools in March, he said.

"We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time of uncertainty," Healy wrote. "While we are thrilled at being able to provide this critical service for our students and families, our fight to ensure that full-day K remains in place beyond next year continues, and we thank you for your support in this effort."

The district has been fighting the cuts mandated under S2 since before the bill was signed into law in 2017. In the last year, students, staff and parents have twice rallied in Trenton to bring attention to the impact of the cuts on the 15,500-student regional district.

Toms River is one of several districts that have repeatedly asked the state Department of Education to provide the details of the formula it uses to determine state aid distribution, including how it determines each district's "local fair share" — the amount the education department says a district should be getting from its property tax levy.

The state has repeatedly said Toms River Regional residents are not paying their local fair share of property taxes to support the schools. District officials have said the district taxes less because it spends less per student; Toms River has one of the lowest per-pupil spending amounts of schools with 3,500 students or more in the state.

Healy said information on kindergarten registration is available on the district's website.

Related coverage:

• Sports, Clubs, Kindergarten At Risk In Toms River School Aid Cuts
• Toms River, Brick Seek 'Secret' Math Equation In School Aid Fight

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