A Longer Week for Redding's Kindergartners?

Redding's kindergartners would benefit from elongating the current schedule from two full-days and three half-days, the town's Kindergarten Committee told the Board of Education Tuesday night.

About 30 people filed into the John Read Middle School meeting room Tuesday night—a high turnout, but nothing that unusual. It was clear the issue was at least somewhat contentious; coupled together, the committee presentation, school board discussion and public comment continued deep into the night.

While the committee spoke in favor of a longer week for youngsters, some parents expressed concerned over the proposed changes when the floor was opened up for public comment.

“Is this more enriching? Does it truly move us forward or sideways?" asked Betsy Higgins. "What is the incremental benefit? Is this new program developmentally appropriate? My child is very conscious of which days are short and which are long. She has different behavior on her long days than her short days."

The presentation

The Kindergarten Committee detailed what they found young children require in order to learn efficiently. According to them, the best allocations for studies is as follows:

• Reading, 90 minutes per day;
• Writing, 45 to 60 minutes per day;
• Math, 45 to 60 minutes per day;
• Science and social studies, 30 minutes per day;
• Developmental play and free play, 45 minutes per day;
• Art, physical education, library/media work, 40 minutes per week; and
• Music, 60 minutes per week.

To make room for this time, there would need to be four full days of schooling and one early dismissal day during the week, the committee said. Currently there are two full days of school and three half-days for kindergartners.

Constitution of these time blocks does not mean “just sitting down and reading,” said Stephanie Pierson Ugol, principal of . Reading, for example, could take the place of letterized building blocks, which also encourages socialization and other cognitive skills.

Budget implications

The implementation of a four full day school week, with Monday as a 1 p.m. dismissal, comes with changes to the usual schedule for students and parents.

The new schedule will cause the elimination of four mid-day bus run, some new structural changes to the the structure of RES, additional developmental play supplies, and four support staff added for two hours a day.

The impact of the proposed schedule

Students would ride the 2:40 p.m. busses with RES students four days a week, and the additional staff  “allows for students to be in small groups for more individualized instruction during the afternoon,” according to the committee’s PowerPoint presentation. 

But the most controversial issue of the proposed change was simply the increased amount of time spent in school.

“We compared the current schedule to every other available” configuration of schedules, said Ugol. “We found that a four full day schedule best aligned with the exemplary program model."

There appeared to have been some concerns about stamina and attention span for young students faced with a full day.

The committee said that the students would not be “rushed or fatigued” and that more time to learn would be beneficial.

Ugol said that there would be ample time for students to socialize throughout the day, and that it was in important point that was researched.  

“I see this as a fundamental change . . . of how we do education at this school,” said school board member James Barickman.

Under the new schedule, Mondays would start at 8:10 and end at 1 p.m.

Public Comment

“We need to give the proposal a close examination,” Higgins said, adding the board should consider some "critical issues."

She cautioned the board to be sure that the new program, if implemented, would be up and running “six months from now” during the next school year.

Her comment closed with applause.

“Is there research that supports this incremental change in time?” asked Kim Thomson. Thomson was also concerned that individual time with teachers might be lessened under the new plan. Thomson also asked for a referendum.

The meeting was mainly for the presentation from the Kindergarten Committee and for a discussion with the school board—no vote on this issue was taken. Meetings in the future will open up a two-way discourse with the Redding public, which, if this preliminary meeting was any indicator, will be packed with concerned parents.

The Board of Education is scheduled to hold question and answer sessions next week, on Tuesday, March 8, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. and also on Thursday, March 10 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Both meetings will take place in the elementary school's cafeteria.