Kindergarten Enrollment Clouded By Uncertainty

Although kindergarten enrollment is underway in Burlingame, the future for some children in the district is still uncertain as district officials grapple with keeping or cutting .

Future kindergarten parents met Tuesday night to hear from school officials about changes to the kindergarten program, but uncertainty over transitional kindergarten left some questions unanswered.

Under the new Kindergarten Readiness Act, children must turn 5-years-old before Nov. 1 for kindergarten admittance in the 2012-2013 school year. The birthday cut-off will roll back to Oct. 1 for the 2013-2014 school year and finally Sept. 1 for the 2014-2015 school year.

As part of the act, districts are required to provide a transitional kindergarten program for students turning 5 between Nov. 2 and Dec. 2 who otherwise would have started kindergarten.

“The idea is that it would be a bridge,” said Assistant Superintendent Jud Kempson of the half-day program.

However, with an uncertain state budget, . In that case, the program would no longer be mandatory, and districts wishing to keep the program must find alternate funding. Schools won’t know for certain until November what their 2012-2013 funding is—pending the outcome of a $7 billion tax initiative on the November ballot.

So, although enrollment in the began Feb. 1, some parents are left uncertain as to what class—if any—their children will attend come Fall 2012.

“We’re in a little bit of limbo,” Kempson said. “Things are changing daily.”

He has previously said he would like to see transitional kindergarten move forward regardless of state funding, but finding the money for the program would prove difficult.

Kempson said parents whose children fall in the transitional kindergarten category should still register, letting their home schools know they are interested in transitional kindergarten.

The transitional kindergarten program—if it happens—will take place at and also , depending on capacity. After the year of transitional kindergarten, students will return to their home schools. Parents with children turning five between Sept. 1 and Nov. 1 interested in transitional kindergarten should let their home school know of their interest, which will be accommodated based on capacity.

Kempson also discussed the newly extended day for kindergarteners, running from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., intended to create longer instructional blocks that allow children more time to think, process and participate in activities like science, social studies, art and dramatic play. The new kindergarten model also cuts class sizes.

He additionally addressed the Spanish Immersion program for both native English and native Spanish speakers. Interested parents should enroll at their home school and fill out an Immersion Program application, due Feb. 27. A lottery determines which children participate in the program.

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