Editorial: Eliminate proposed cut to transitional kindergarten
02.03.2012 | San Mateo Daily Journal | Heather Murtagh
In Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal last month, it was clear he was putting everything on the list for potential cuts. There are no sacred cows. The idea was to show what might happen if voters do not approve a measure in November to raise the state’s taxes.
However, on this list is one program that should not be there — transitional kindergarten. In light of the recent struggles of the state with its variety of proposed cuts, most notably, a federal judge’s recent ruling to stop 10 percent cuts to payments of many providers of health care for Medi-Cal patients, it just doesn’t make sense to proceed with the proposed $223.7 million cut to the transitional kindergarten. Why? Because the recently passed law authored by state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, would require legislative action to overturn it and there doesn’t seem to be support for such action. In essence, the cut to transitional kindergarten funding is a non-starter and largely questionable. The end result will likely be that the proposed cut would never see the light of day.
In the meantime, school districts across the state are trying to determine the best path to plan for either scenario — which is costing time and effort that would be better served in myriad other places.
The Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010 requires students be 5 years old to start kindergarten and slowly moves the deadline for incoming students from Dec. 1 to Sept. 1. An additional year of transitional kindergarten was supposed to be offered for the new group of children and was to be paid for with state money. That is the specific funding now in question because of Brown’s proposal.
So not only are school districts making tandem plans, parents of children affected by the legislation are stuck in limbo unable to determine if they will be eligible for it or if alternative plans must be established.
School districts are used to the waiting game of state funding and often make several tiers of plans when it comes to cuts and programs that would be on the chopping block when the state Legislature and the governor get around to finalizing a budget. However, it is much easier to make plans for current programs and class sizes depending on how many teachers can be afforded once the budget scenario becomes clear.
Transitional kindergarten, because it is new, has more needs when it comes to planning and preparation. Placing districts in such a state of uncertainty over such a small budget item (in the complete budget picture) is inherently unfair and unwarranted, particularly if the chance for such a cut to become real is slim.
The governor is facing enough trouble with his list of proposals. Why invite more struggle with a proposal that is already tangled with opposition, a lack of support to change it and the threat of severe uncertainty? The governor would be wise to eliminate the proposal for the cut immediately and allow districts to plan with certainty for such a large change to their school communities, parents and their children.
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