Swim Team Honored, Kindergarten Decision Expected in Early January

Part One of a transcript from the Dec. 19, 2013 School Committee meeting. 

For the full meeting, click here.

7:00 p.m. to 7:12 p.m.

The meeting began with approval of the consent agenda and then an update from student representatives.

Al Thomas then offered a moment of recognition for the Chelmsford girls’ varsity swimming and diving team, which recently won a state championship.

In the past nine years, they’ve been in the top two in the state eight times.

Superintendent Dr. Frank Tiano also congratulated the team.

7:12 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

There was no public comment, and due to the inclement weather on Tuesday, the youth risk behavior presentation was postponed until the next meeting.

School Committee chairman Mike Rigney then began to recap last week’s Tri-Board meeting, opening up the floor to hear impressions from the committee.

Rigney said he heard that the town is looking at a period of flat budgets, with a 3 percent increase in the school budget, comparable to earlier years.

School Committee member Evelyn Thoren also noted that full-day kindergarten will require a plan on how to fund it.

The presentation presented by Superintendent Tiano was discussed at earlier meetings and is available on the school department website.

School Committee member Barbara Skaar said that the kindergarten issue will take a lot of work, with Rigney saying that the next agenda item, the kindergarten issue, should be merged with this topic.

Rigney said that if there was a 3.5 percent budget increase, that would help bridge the gap getting full-time kindergarten, but that money is not available and Finance Committee members were concerned about using one-time funds for kindergarten funding.

Tiano said his presentation showed potential costs, with a decision on that data still needed.

Rigney confirmed that the plan is indeed not yet finished, with Skaar adding that the information provided opened up a lot of eyes at the Triboard meeting, particularly that so many other communities in Massachusetts have full-day kindergarten and most do not charge fees (247 communities),

Skaar also added that the additional emphasis on early education from the federal government makes this a priority.

Rigney then said there was a discussion on whether the town needs full-day kindergarten, stating that there were reports showing that for children of minorities as well as poor children, there are significant benefits later in life.

Tiano and Rigney then discussed changing goals as well as the need to close the achievement gap over all parts of schooling, and that this will help students at later levels and cut costs for older children.

Thoren said that when special education needs are noticed early, there is less special education needs required, reducing costs.

Dr. Kristen Rodriguez went back to ELA (English Language Arts) standard changes brought forth in 2011 that have impacted early learning, saying that half-day programs have made it difficult to meet these standards.

In the past, Thoren said that the problem before toward getting a full-day program was space and money, now it’s mainly just money due to the non-use of the Westlands School for higher grades.

Rigney said that it was heard quite clearly at the Triboard meeting that the costs could be met be instituting a fee, although he had concerns with that.

First, he said that if full-day kindergarten were given with a fee, half-day could not be given with a fee, which would eliminate savings from transportation consolidation.

Also, he said that there would be an issue with equity, where poorer parents would not be able to put their children in full-day kindergarten. Part of the current job of First Grade teachers is to correct students who did not attend private full-day kindergarten, so Rigney asked if many parents could not enroll their children in full-day kindergarten if that would help the school district.

He then added that parents already face significant fees, and that towns are very limited on the amounts of taxes they can raise (local excise for meals and hotels and property).

On the other hand, he said a significant amount of discussion had been offered about the important of bringing the program into town.

Thoren then said that there may be a market for instituting fees for half-day programs, limiting the amount of half-day programs specifically for children at risk educationally.

However, she also stated that she wants public funds to be used for public education, with Rigney agreeing, saying that public education has always been used as an equalizing force.

Tiano then discussed Chapter 70 (state aid) limitations for Chelmsford, where other towns that have more favorable Chapter 70 funding being able to provide free programs.

He then said that should the School Committee pursue an all-or-nothing feeless proposal or find some alternative, such as a phase-in.

Tiano reiterated that time is running out due to parents beginning to look for private kindergartens, and Rigney said that the decision will need to be made by around Jan. 15 due to that registration deadline as well as for Town Manager Paul Cohen’s budget presentation a week later.

Regardless of the plan, Tiano believes that if the School Committee does pursue full-day kindergarten, he believes that parents would gravitate toward the public option.

Rigney said at that point there there are parents who can pay $3,500 for kindergarten and there are some who can’t but can get reductions, but there are some in the middle who can’t afford $3,500 without being eligible for price reductions.

He then indicated that a survey would be needed to find out how many parents are in those rich, poor and in-between groups.

There was then a return talk over transportation and bus fees and whether enrollment would put half-day programs at neighborhood elementary schools or the Westlands.

Thoren also said that parent pickup is another thing that needs to be discussed.

Thomas said it would be helpful to know on when a decision needs to be made whether there are multiple options or the committee would have to support one option.

In terms of priorities, Tiano said that at least one option would be needed as a starting point, and then Rigney said that there was no benefit in walking away since the financial situation is unlikely to improve in future years.

Thomas said that the choices need to be narrowed down.

Tiano has confidence that any option would be educationally sound, that the main issue is financial sustainability.

Rigney said that one-time funds could only be used for a “running start,” and Skaar asked that the Triboard be brought forth again since it’s unclear where the funds would be found to achieve this goal from current funding sources.

Going back to the earlier discussions and previous meetings, Rigney said that the $500,000 of the $1 million in the full-day plan does appear sustainable, but the only question is what shouldn’t be done.

Rigney said that from what he had been hearing from the committee, not having full-day kindergarten had to stop.

Tiano said that he would go back to the drawing board with more options for the committee.