A doubling of classroom time does not necessarily lead to a doubling in learning. With El Marino Language School starting its full-day kindergarten classes next month, the CCUSD, now, does not offer incoming parents the option of signing up their children for half-day kindergarten classes. Is our School District losing enrollment to other districts that do, along with the state funding?
No Great Difference
If the El Marino parents who called for full-day kindergarten, are anticipating an increase in their school’s overall test scores, they may be in for a big surprise. Most reports on the subject, even those written in support of the idea, have shown that most educational gains were negligible and short-lived.
Testing Results
One of the best examples was at an elementary school that offered both half-day and full-day kindergarten programs. The results of their third grade testing showed students who were in half-day kindergarten classes tested pretty much the same as their third grade classmates who had attended full-day kindergarten classes.
Pocketbook Savings, Plain and Simple
The only advantage in starting El Marino’s full-day kindergarten program seems to be the incoming parents’ pocketbooks. With their children attending a full-day kindergarten at a public school, these parents would end up paying less for their after-school childcare.
Shoulda Been a No-Brainer
By itself, El Marino’s switch to full-day kindergarten should have been a win-win situation. That is, if it were not inexorably tied to the exile of 70 Culver Park High School students from their quiet, beautiful campus to a noisy four-room bungalow in the back of an asphalt parking lot.
Crux of the Matter
Before making its final decision, one would think that the District administration would have weighed all the positive and negative effects its decision would have on all the District students involved. Did they even think to ask themselves the fundamental question: Are the fractional, short-term gains of 132 incoming kindergartners more important than the continuing overall quality of education for 70 continuation students?
If they did, we know their answer to that question, don't we?
Collateral Damage
As quickly and quietly as the District tried to keep these issues going by keeping them under the rug, out of view, it would seem the administration just thought of the Culver Park students’ education as being secondary to that of El Marino’s incoming class of kindergartners; that they were just unfortunate collateral damage.
How Much is Being Spent on Your Child’s Education?
When discussing Equity in Education, equality in school site funding needs to be part of the discussion.
Across our District, the total funding for each of our five elementary schools seems to be quite disproportionately consistent. There needs to be a District survey taken and published on how much each school receives from the District and just how much fundraising goes on at each school site and how it is spent. Only then will we be able to have an informed discussion about our local Equity in Education.
Mr. Laase may be contacted at GMLaase@aol.com
