Wayne Board Of Education Decides: No Full-Day Kindergarten In September

WAYNE, N.J. - Full-day kindergarten will not be implemented for the 2016-17 school year, district officials announced.

The Board of Education "formally decided" against the move after debating with residents for months regarding how the $2.1 million program, which many parents have said the district desperately needs, could have been implemented. At the core of the matter was how the district could implement the program and stay within the state-mandated 2 percent budget increase cap after residents rejected funding it via a referendum in November.

The board continues to explore implementing a kindergarten wrap-around program. The half-day model is designed to complement and extend students' kindergarten experiences.

The wrap-around program offers enrichment activities that officials said "are consistent with the methodology and philosophy" of regular kindergarten instruction, officials said. Many parents have spoken out against the program, saying it does not provide students with the same instruction that a regular full-day kindergarten program would.

The tuition-based program costs $250 a month.

Wayne is the only district in Passaic County without full-day kindergarten.

Related: Wayne Full-Day Kindergarten Voted Down

The board decided earlier this month to have residents vote on the matter in November with a special question.

Superintendent Mark Toback presented a number of possible cost-saving moves the district could make in order to free up money for full-day kindergarten, including: Closing Ryerson Elementary School, cutting staff, making parents pay for Advanced Placement classes, consolidating high school athletic teams, or outsourcing paraprofessionals.

A dedicated group of parents has advocated for full-day kindergarten for months. Many middle- and high-schoolers and their parents have spoken out against implementing the program for fear that it would mean the loss of extracurricular activities and student clubs.