BC News

District looking forward to full-day kindergarten, New School opening

Capital project vote, at no local taxpayer cost, and redistricting process to take place this fall

Release Date: July 20, 2007

Following a June decision to introduce full-day kindergarten, the Bethlehem Central School District is looking forward to a busy fall of planning to implement the program and to successfully open its sixth elementary school.

The move to full-day kindergarten in September 2009 will lead to a late October or early November referendum to construct additional classrooms, at no cost to local taxpayers, to accommodate the program. And, the opening of Eagle Elementary School at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, which had been planned prior to the kindergarten decision as part of the district’s ongoing building project, requires the district to redraw its elementary school boundaries.

To begin the process of redistricting in advance of the new school’s opening, the district has engaged VersaTrans Solutions Inc., a firm that has worked with districts across the country on similar projects. The Board’s goal is to make a final decision by the end of January 2008, and the redistricting plan will take effect at the beginning of the next school year.

In the coming weeks, the board will consider how best to include community participation in the process. As the redistricting unfolds, the district will keep residents informed of open meetings and the status through various channels, including the district’s Web site, http://bcsd.k12.ny.us.

“We begin our planning with nothing pre-determined and are fully committed to this being an open process with multiple avenues for community and parent participation and information sharing,” Superintendent Les Loomis said. “Our main goal is that the transition to both new elementary attendance boundaries and full-day kindergarten is a smooth and positive experience for our students and their families.”

In order for the district to plan its full-day kindergarten program and redistricting with as accurate data as possible, it is important for district residents with children who are not yet of school age to ensure that this information is on file with the district. This can be done by completing a private/preschool enrollment form (PDF document), which is available by calling the District Registrar at 439-7481.

In addition to deciding upon a full-day kindergarten program in June, the Board also elected to return kindergarten students to their home schools. Currently, kindergarten students attend school at the Early Learning Center, which is located at Slingerlands Elementary School. Most kindergarten students will attend their half-day kindergarten program at their home school for the 2008-09 school year.

In order to accommodate the full-day kindergarten program, the district is planning to seek voter approval in late October or early November to construct an 8-classroom addition to Eagle Elementary School at no cost to local taxpayers. This addition would give the district sufficient elementary classrooms to house full-day kindergarten programs at each elementary school. The funding for the project will come from the state through a school construction aid program known as EXCEL.

The EXCEL funding will also cover additional facilities improvement projects designed to avoid future taxpayer expense. At its Aug. 8 meeting, the Board of Education will consider potential projects to include in this fall referendum.

Related Articles:

• Board of Education Approves full-day kindergarten

• Background materials on full-day kindergarten

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