Full Day Kindergarten Wins Approval In Council Rock

NEWTOWN, PA — It's official. Full day kindergarten is coming to the Council Rock School District.

In what school board president Yota Palli called an historic decision, the board voted 6 to 3 Thursday night to approve implementation of the program beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

Voting in favor of the motion were board members Yota Palli, Ed Tate, Tracey Osecki, Linda Stone, Nicole Khan and Joe Hidalgo. Voting against the motion were Anne Horner, Mike Roosevelt and Bob Hickey.

“In Council Rock we strive for educational excellence and full day kindergarten is an essential part of that educational excellence,” said Palli. “The extra four hours of kindergarten per day will allow our teachers to fully implement a reading readiness program and a math bridges program along with all five specials and purposeful play. Our students will not need to play catch up, but they will be fully prepared for first grade, both academically and socially.”

According to Palli, the district has the space to implement the program without impacting class size and without the need for redistricting. “And we can offer full day kindergarten with very limited tax implications,” she said.

According to the administration, the program will cost the district taxpayer with the average assessment $36 more a year in taxes to cover one time costs of $1.138 million for furniture and supplies, $2.6 million annually for new staffing along with a savings of $450,000 in transportation cost.

The initial cost of the program will be spread out over two budget cycles - .56 percent in 2024-25 and the remaining tax increase in 2025-26.

“Full day kindergarten is something that has been discussed for decades in Council Rock,” said board member Tracey Osecki. “Parents have wanted this for so long and for so long the board has not been interested in having real discussions about the merits or the community need. For the last six months this board has made it a priority … I am so excited to vote for full day kindergarten in Council Rock. No longer will our students be at a disadvantage. The community wants this. Our schools can accommodate it. The tax increase is nominal. This is students first, always.”

Board member Ed Tate said when parents were asked in a district survey what the biggest benefits would be to them of a full day kindergarten program, 60 percent said it would be helpful to working parents; 44 percent said better preparation for grade one; 27 percent said improved academic outcomes; and 24 percent cited early detection of learning issues.

“The $2.6 million price tag sounds like a lot of money. And it is a lot of money. I don’t think any of us have lost sight of that,” said Tate. “Our budget is $280 million. $2.6 million is less than one percent but we’re talking about an investment in our children’s education. That is why I strongly support this.”

Prior to the vote, the four Republicans on the board - Hidalgo, Horner, Roosevelt and Hickey -attempted to delay implementation of the program until the 2026-27 school year concerned that a year won't be enough time for the administration to ramp up the program for the 2026-27 school year.

Their motion failed.

When the second motion for the 2025-26 school year was brought to the table, Hidalgo voted with the Democrats to approve the program. Hidalgo had pushed previous boards to consider the program, but due to tight budgets was never able to garner enough support from the board.

“I am voting twice for this only because I trust the administration that if it sees bumps in the road it will make a recommendation to delay,” said Hidalgo.

His three Republican colleagues, Anne Horner, Michael Roosevelt and Bob Hickey voted against the 2025-26 implementation date.

"I’m not against full day kindergarten. I am supporting an investment in education, but I am not convinced that the $2 million to hire 24 to 30 educators and staff is best directed at this time to full day kindergarten," said Roosevelt. "Instead, it could be directed to reduce class size, to hire one math and one reading specialist in each elementary school, provide more teachers for afternoon clinic and Nights for Knowledge and a list of other things.

"There are kids in Council Rock right now that have suffered learning loss and need more help to be proficient in reading, writing and arithmetic," said Roosevelt. "This decision ignores that. I believe educational results would be greater if directed in another educational area to help the district's current student body, which may have experienced learning loss over the past several years."

Hickey added, “I am not opposed to full day kindergarten. There is a redeeming value to the
idea, however at what cost and what is the return on investment? As a stand-alone it sounds great, however there is no proof full day kindergarten will improve academic excellence. Studies have shown while there may be an initial benefit in math and reading skills in the first grade those benefits are basically non-existent by third grade.

"Secondly this is not a one year cost," said Hickey. "We need to hire 25 to 30 new personnel. They will work for at least 30 years with raises. This is a long term investment. Is it worth it? I don't know. I do know we have to raise taxes an extra 20 percent on this year's budget to fund it. Is that fair to the overwhelming majority, including our seniors? I don't know."