School Board Approves Free All-Day Kindergarten Program; Half-Day Program Cut

A free full-day kindergarten program will be available to all Edina families starting in the 2014-15 school year.

The Edina School Board voted 6-1 Tuesday evening to embrace all-day kindergarten and to discontinue the district’s half-day program. A $134 million appropriation by the Minnesota Legislature means the financial implications for the district will be minimal.

“We believe the all-day kindergarten program best serves the needs of our students and families,” Superintendent Ric Dressen said in a statement. “It has been part of our long-range planning for several years to be able to offer all-day kindergarten for free to families, and with the availability of new state revenue, we are excited to finally be able to do so.”

A survey of Edina families with students enrolling in kindergarten in 2014 showed that 91 percent favored all-day kindergarten. But some school board members have expressed doubts that the change could “alienate families.”

Families will still be able to enroll their students in kindergarten for part of the day, but classroom activities will still be structured around a full-day program model and the district will not take responsibility for mid-day transportation.

Board member Sarah Patzloff said that a fully supported half-day kindergarten program is the right fit for many families and cast the lone dissenting vote.

“We are a district that prides ourself on choice and we are taking this choice away,” she said during the Tuesday board meeting. “Right now when you’re in a half day program, it makes sure it covers all the academics in half the day—you’re not getting the gym and the art and the other areas the all-day program provides.”

Director of Human Resources and Operations Gwen Jackson said that keeping a half-day program was not “financially or programmatically viable.”

“We recognize that some parents may have concerns about their child attending school all day, and we are committed to working with them on an individual basis to help their child transition to school,” she said in a statement. “Our principals have always done this and we will continue to partner with families to ensure students are successful.”

The school board will be looking to expand classroom space at Concord and Cornelia elementaries. The board will vote on a tax levy to fund the expansion in December, with construction expected to be completed by the start of the 2014-15 school year.