Schools

Parents Fight to Keep Kindergarten Day Intact

Almost 400 people have signed a petition asking the school district to not cut down the kindergarten school day by 20 minutes.

Nearly 400 people have signed a petition urging the School District of the Chathams to "save Chatham's kindergarten program" in an attempt to convince the district administration to not cut the kindergarten day short next year.

The district is considering cutting out specials from kindergarten such as music, art and gym, which would result in a 20 minute reduction of the school day. It would mean that children who currently go to morning kindergarten from 8:35 to 11:25 a.m. would instead go from 8:35 to 11:05 a.m.

Superintendent Jim O'Neill said the idea is on the table, but said nothing has formally been decided yet. A tentative budget will be finalized March 22 after Gov. Chris Christie makes state aid numbers public next week.

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The district's Finance Committee will also hold an open, public meeting that day.

But parents of children who will be entering kindergarten next year have set up the online petition—titled "Save Chatham's Kindergarten Program"— that asks the school district to consider not enacting such a proposal, saying they fear it will result in an inferior educational experience for their children. As of this afternoon, 387 people had signed the petition.

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Barbara Delaney is one of those 387. She has a child currently in first grade and a child that will go into kindergarten at Southern Boulevard Elementary School next year. If the specials are cut, she said, and the day is shortened, her daughter will have a shorter school day in kindergarten than she currently has in preschool.

"I don't feel they'll get the full experience without the music and art and gym and going to the library once a week," she said.

She said she understands that the school district is facing a difficult budget year, and said she knows the school district may be reluctant to raise taxes too high next year.

And she knows there are people who live in Chatham who don't have children in the schools but are still forced to shoulder a relatively large tax burden. Last year, property owners shelled out 62.24 percent of their property taxes to schools.

But to her, her daughter's education is stil vitally important.

"I don't want [people without children] to have to pay more, but I don't know what else to do," she said. "Most people moved to this town for the schools."

As of now, the district plans on taking on an additional two teachers for its elementary schools next year.


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