Equal education as a birth-right for all

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Citizens for Limited Taxation

Equal education as a birth-right for all Thursday, February 27, 2003

Framingham Tab Editorial Metrowest Daily News

It's hard to understand.
Massachusetts is a state known worldwide for its top-notch institutes of higher education. Under the leadership of Horace Mann, known as the father of American education, in the mid-1800s the Bay State became the first in the nation to establish public schools.
Yet when it comes to kindergarten - the first exposure most children have to organized education - educational leaders seem to miss the point. Many districts lack full-day classes. Others charge a fee.
The state budget crisis has some local parents and members of the Framingham School Committee talking about taking a step backward.
To close a $3 million budget gap one proposal being floated is to eliminate full-day kindergarten, except for special education inclusion classes, for a savings of $273,000. The other option is to charge $2,000 for each child in full-day.
"My daughter is in full-day kindergarten now, and I think it's outstanding," said Audrey Hall, a Potter Road parent, Town Meeting member, and author of a proposal to create a kindergarten center, offering half-day and full-day at a cost.
"The price of full-day would be far more reasonable than the cost of day care," she said.
This option is not new. It's done in several MetroWest communities. The results wouldn't be disastrous. The sky wouldn't fall. Little 5- and 6-year-olds wouldn't be thrown out into the streets.
However, at a time when everyone talks about higher standards, the MCAS and so on, it leaves us to ask whether eliminating or charging for full-day kindergarten is a wise decision.
Some experts say children need more than 2 1/2 hours a day in kindergarten. This gives them greater opportunities to spend a significant amount of time focusing on one project, they say.
"We know that, particularly for children with poorer backgrounds, all-day kindergarten is almost essential to give them the kind of start that they need," Superintendent Mark Smith said in a recent Q&A in the TAB's sister paper, The MetroWest Daily News.
"We know these things," he added, "but we don't, at least in Framingham and many other communities, we don't have the resources to do that, so instead we are looking at making decisions in the opposite direction."
Charging for a public school program is not something Smith likes to do, but he said he is resigned to the fact.
"I'm passed my philosophical concerns with fees," he said. "In general, it's not a good idea, but with the times we are in, I think we should consider it."
Smith's insistence that a paid kindergarten program include a sliding scale fee and a provision that no child be left behind because of their inability to pay, is an appropriate gesture.
However, a sounder decision is to keep the status quo with kindergarten and consider cuts and fees in other programs. This is a time to stand up and do what's right. It's time for the federal, state and local government to stay the course to live up to the fundamental principle: Equal education as a birth-right for all children.

Equal education as a birth-right for all	Thursday, February 27, 2003
Framingham Tab Editorial	Metrowest Daily News
It's hard to understand. Massachusetts is a state known worldwide for its top-notch institutes of higher education. Under the leadership of Horace Mann, known as the father of American education, in the mid-1800s the Bay State became the first in the nation to establish public schools. Yet when it comes to kindergarten - the first exposure most children have to organized education - educational leaders seem to miss the point. Many districts lack full-day classes. Others charge a fee. The state budget crisis has some local parents and members of the Framingham School Committee talking about taking a step backward. To close a $3 million budget gap one proposal being floated is to eliminate full-day kindergarten, except for special education inclusion classes, for a savings of $273,000. The other option is to charge $2,000 for each child in full-day. "My daughter is in full-day kindergarten now, and I think it's outstanding," said Audrey Hall, a Potter Road parent, Town Meeting member, and author of a proposal to create a kindergarten center, offering half-day and full-day at a cost. "The price of full-day would be far more reasonable than the cost of day care," she said. This option is not new. It's done in several MetroWest communities. The results wouldn't be disastrous. The sky wouldn't fall. Little 5- and 6-year-olds wouldn't be thrown out into the streets. However, at a time when everyone talks about higher standards, the MCAS and so on, it leaves us to ask whether eliminating or charging for full-day kindergarten is a wise decision. Some experts say children need more than 2 1/2 hours a day in kindergarten. This gives them greater opportunities to spend a significant amount of time focusing on one project, they say. "We know that, particularly for children with poorer backgrounds, all-day kindergarten is almost essential to give them the kind of start that they need," Superintendent Mark Smith said in a recent Q&A in the TAB's sister paper, The MetroWest Daily News. "We know these things," he added, "but we don't, at least in Framingham and many other communities, we don't have the resources to do that, so instead we are looking at making decisions in the opposite direction." Charging for a public school program is not something Smith likes to do, but he said he is resigned to the fact. "I'm passed my philosophical concerns with fees," he said. "In general, it's not a good idea, but with the times we are in, I think we should consider it." Smith's insistence that a paid kindergarten program include a sliding scale fee and a provision that no child be left behind because of their inability to pay, is an appropriate gesture. However, a sounder decision is to keep the status quo with kindergarten and consider cuts and fees in other programs. This is a time to stand up and do what's right. It's time for the federal, state and local government to stay the course to live up to the fundamental principle: Equal education as a birth-right for all children.

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