West Ada School District to offer free full-day optional kindergarten to all students
The West Ada School District will offer full-day kindergarten next year at no cost to families.
The decision to offer the optional full-day program at all elementary schools across the district comes after the Idaho Legislature passed a bill to add $46.6 million in literacy funds that school districts can use for full-day kindergarten.
West Ada had previously charged families who wanted to send their kids to full-day kindergarten. The state funds optional half-day kindergarten.
Families who are hesitant about sending their kids for the full day can meet with building administration and staff to “determine a kindergarten learning plan that best suits the individual child and their needs,” the district said.
Teachers, administrators and parents across the state have said full-day kindergarten can help prepare kids for first grade and improve reading, writing and social skills.
“Full-day kindergarten provides meaningful instruction through an enriched curriculum focused on expanded language arts experiences through drama, speaking, writing and reading as well as enrichment in math, social studies, science, music, P.E., computer and library classes,” according to West Ada.
The move to free full-day kindergarten also comes after two parents in 2019 filed a class action lawsuit that said requiring parents to pay for the full-day option violated the Idaho Constitution, which says the Idaho Legislature must “maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.”
Last fall, the Idaho Supreme Court concluded that parents have the legal grounds to sue the school district, allowing the case to move forward in District Court. The justices said the lower court erred in part by dismissing the parents’ complaint for a lack of standing, but that parents lacked standing to pursue an economic injury.
“In essence, parents are contending, and have made at least a facial showing, that West Ada is running two separate but unequal kindergarten programs — a full-day program for those who can afford it and a half-day program for those who cannot,” wrote Justice Greg Moeller, the author of the opinion. “Such a claim, which is largely undisputed by West Ada, raises the specter of past constitutional challenges to ‘inherently unequal’ educational systems.”
Legislature made full-day kindergarten a priority
Ahead of the legislative session, several lawmakers said funding full-day kindergarten was a priority.
School districts in Idaho used a mix of resources to fund full-day kindergarten. Some school districts, like West Ada, charged families an additional cost each month. Others used supplemental levies or other local or state funds.
Legislators introduced a series of full-day kindergarten bills this session, but ultimately passed a version that changed the way literacy funds were allotted and gave districts more flexibility to offer the full-day option.
The new law affirms school districts “have the resources to establish literacy programs to improve the literacy growth of our K-3rd grade students,” according to the statement of purpose.
Under the bill, half of the literacy funds would be distributed to districts and public charter schools based on enrollment of students in kindergarten through third grade, and the other half would be based on performance. School districts where students performed better on the statewide literacy test would receive more funds.
The state had about $26 million for early literacy spending, but appropriated an additional $46.6 million, for a total of about $72 million.
Lawmakers had previously raised some concerns over the way the bill allotted funding to school districts. They said it could mean that additional resources aren’t provided to students with greater needs, and may not be a sustainable model for funding full-day kindergarten.
But overall, the bill received wide support among lawmakers, who said it was a step in the right direction.
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 3:55 PM.
