School Committee Rolls Back Kindergarten Entry Age

The school committee unanimously voted Monday night to roll back the kindergarten cutoff birth date from December 31 to August 31.

The change will be effective starting in the 2012-2013 school year. The committee approved the measure 7-0, but nearly all members expressed some apprehension with their decisions, as they weighed the pros and cons of the developmental impact of sending children to school at a later age.

"It’s one of those questions that is simply not easy to answer from where I sit…I’m not really sure," said committee member Paulette Van der Kloot. "I hope we’re making the right decision.”

The vote means all kindergartners who enter kindergarten turn 5 than Aug. 31 of the year they are starting school. Historically, Medford has used a cutoff date of Dec. 31. Last night's change puts Medford in line with most public school systems. The change will require 2012-2013 kindergartners to be 5 years old by Aug. 31, 2012.

Committee member George Sciarpelli said meeting with kindergarten teachers last year had the biggest impact on his vote. Teachers told him many of their younger students struggled with social skills, and felt some of their students weren't emotionally ready for kindergarten.

"Probably the biggest impact that came in front of this body was the meeting with the teachers," he said.

Though she voted for the change, Ann Marie Cugno said she was concerned with not providing public school at an early enough age for some parents, and would like to see the school system consider implementing a pre-school plan.

"I’m really on the fence about this.” she said. "I know where I’m going to end up voting, but I don’t know if it’s solving the problem."

Committee members William O'Keefe and John Falco also said discussions with teachers drove their votes.

“They want those children prepared for first grade, they actually stay awake at night thinking about some of these kids," O'Keefe said.

“To hear that many students are just not socially or emotionally ready for kindergarten," Falco said. "That’s huge.”

Mayor Michael McGlynn, who chairs the school committee, said he anguished over the vote.

"It is unlike any issue, I think, that I’ve dealt with in 24 years on this committee,” he said.