Beverly Eliminates Full-Day Kindergarten Fee

BEVERLY, MA — The Beverly school committee voted Wednesday to elimnate the fee the school system had charged for full-day kindergarten. Parents who had already submitted deposits for the 2020-21 school year will have them returned. In a Facebook post, the school system called the elimination of the $2,100 fee a "long awaited milestone."

Suzanne M. Charochak, who was named superintendent at the start of the current school year, voiced support for eliminating the fee when she interviewed for the position last year. Parents have been pushing for the fee cut for several years, citing the benefits full-day kindergarten offers young students.

"Thanks go to the School Committee and Superintendent, as well as to all those who have worked and advocated on this issue," City Councilor Julie Flowers, who serves as a liaison to the school committee, said in a Facebook post.