South San Francisco college leaders weigh how you can launch new transitional kindergarten | Native Information

Officials in the South San Francisco Unified School District are considering possible plans to launch a new transition kindergarten program that would align with state goals to expand early education opportunities, but without additional state funding.

With the adoption of Bill 130 by the State Assembly, school districts must now develop a plan to offer all 4-year-olds a transitional kindergarten by June 30, 2022, the first year of a two-year kindergarten program, with full implementation by the school year 2025-26.

“It’s really about providing fair opportunities for all students so that when they enter the K-12 system they have all the skills and basic knowledge to be successful throughout their school years,” said District Superintendent Dr. Shawnterra Moore during a board meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 15.

But as a community-funded district, which means that most of the SSFUSD’s budget is funded through property taxes, the district does not receive government funding for admitting the new students unless the student comes from a low-income household or an underserved community.

Without government funding, civil servants will have to develop a program within the existing budget by 2023 that can accommodate 48 students between two classes with an adult to 12 student ratio.

Ted O, deputy superintendent of Business Services, said the district will receive $ 200,000 in one-time funding from the state and could receive an additional government-backed grant of up to $ 200,000 for infrastructure needs like retrofitting a building or paying teachers receive wages. But the district would have to top up the contribution it receives.

“I understand very well that we’re going to have to be doing some kind of magic if we’re going to apply for funding,” said vice president of the board, Mina Richardson.

The districts with the most underserved students also have priority for these dollars. These numbers are based on applications for the free or discounted lunch program. Dr. Jay Spaulding, assistant director of human resources and student services, said the number of students enrolled in the program has fallen from 42% to 32% in recent years as government measures have been put in place to fund school meals for all students regardless of income level .

“And that was the Catch-22. It’s amazing that we have free lunch for all students, but I think it has made some families feel like applying for the program, ”said President John Baker.

Alternatively, a drop in enrollments that has plagued the state could be seen as a benefit to the district, which must determine how to make room for the new students, Spaulding noted. Over the past eight years, the district has seen enrollments decrease by nearly 13%. The number of kindergarten attendants fell by more than 24% over the same period.

Community-funded districts cannot face fines or other consequences if the program is not set up within the first year, Moore said, adding that more clarity is needed on the matter.

“I don’t want to set it up so that it doesn’t come, but we were told that at that moment when we realized we were still gathering information,” said Moore.

To implement the program, the district has a number of options, including hiring a TC teacher for a class of 12 students, hiring a TC teacher and classified employee for a class of 24, or introducing a morning and evening model , the district, to accept 48 students a day by hiring two TC teachers to split the management.

The first model would cost the district $ 110,674 per class of 12, the second $ 79,837 per 12 students or $ 159,674 for 24, and the third $ 55,737 per class of 12 students, but $ 222,948 Dollars in total.

Some trustees supported the third option, but the district must support community contributions before it can agree on a plan. Baker said it could be difficult to interview parents who are unaware of possible program configurations.

“It’s really important to know that the option will really drive potential demand,” said Baker.

Richardson argued that a survey would not get enough responses from the community, pointing to previous efforts with little interaction. Instead, she suggested that the board set up a volunteer parenting committee to examine the options in more detail.

“They would bring a lot of insight that we are likely to miss tonight,” said Richardson.

Ultimately, the board directed staff members to interview parents and the community to gauge their interest in the options. They also directed staff to further investigate the costs and staffing levels required to implement the third option.

Moore said staff would come up with a resolution that the board should pass the next time the matter was discussed, and shared the hope that the state will release additional details on the potential impact if the program does not start immediately.