Update: KING5 did a story tonight on the possible fee increase for full-day kindergarten. They interviewed a parent whose twins will attend McDonald Elementary School this fall.
The Seattle Public Schools has sent out an urgent request for parents of future kindergartners to fill out a one-question survey about potential fee increases (of about $100 per month) for full-day kindergarten.
From Seattle Public Schools:
Please respond to this survey as soon as possible. Responses received by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 16th will be shared with the School Board during the budget work session that evening and will help guide budget decisions. We will continue to accept responses to the survey through Friday February 18.
The state of Washington funds only half-day kindergarten (there are a few exceptions to this for high poverty schools). For many years our district has added funding for a further half day to ensure there would be one full day kindergarten available in every school. Over the years schools added “pay for K” programs as more and more families wanted full day K for their children. For the 2010-11 school year, we implemented a standard $207 per month Pay for K program across the district. Students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch receive tuition waivers.
With the severe budget crisis, we are considering various options to balance the budget and one is related to Kindergarten services. We want your feedback about these options. Thank you.
