Legislators, School Districts, Educators, Parents Affirm Strong Support for Transitional Kindergarten
05.15.2012 | Preschool California
For Immediate Release
May 15, 2012
For more information:
Jennifer Kern (415) 277-6975, jkern@prandcompany.com
Deborah Kong (415) 385-4288, dkong@preschoolcalifornia.org
Legislators, School Districts, Educators, Parents Affirm Strong Support for Transitional Kindergarten
Legislature’s Message to School Districts Remains: Transitional Kindergarten is Law; TK Implementation Proceeding in Hundreds of Districts Across California
Sacramento, CA – May 15, 2012– Legislators, superintendents, teachers, parents and education advocates reaffirmed their strong support for transitional kindergarten in reaction to Gov. Brown’s proposal to eliminate transitional kindergarten as part of his budget proposal released yesterday.
With both houses of the California state legislature having already rejected the governor’s earlier proposal to cut transitional kindergarten, legislators reassured school districts that transitional kindergarten remains California state law and they will fight to ensure the Kindergarten Readiness Act is enacted in accordance with the law.
“The state legislature has already spoken and affirmed that transitional kindergarten will remain the law. The governor needs to understand transitional kindergarten is here to stay and that we stand firmly behind the Kindergarten Readiness Act,” said Assemblymember Susan Bonilla (D-Concord).
“There are no new cost savings here, so presenting this proposal as part of an evolving budget process is simply false,” continued Bonilla.
“It’s important for parents and school districts to remember that the Governor’s proposal is just a proposal. Transitional kindergarten is the law. Any changes to that law must be approved by the Legislature. The budget subcommittees in both houses have already spoken with a resounding “no” to proposals to cut TK funding,” noted State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto).
“This latest budget proposal by the administration would still displace thousands of children from kindergarten just months before school is about to start, leaving parents scrambling to find options during a very tough economy. We can’t do that. We can’t do that to kids. We can’t do that to parents. And we can’t do that to our schools,” Simitian added.
More than 200 school districts across the state – including Los Angeles Unified School District, Sacramento City Unified School District and San Diego Unified School District – are in the process of implementing transitional kindergarten and have already begun registering students for the fall.
A map of California school districts implementing transitional kindergarten is available at: www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/tkmap.
“Transitional kindergarten gives younger children the chance to develop the skills they need for academic success, which is so vital for future employment,” said Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, (D-Oak Park). “California would be taking a step backward if it does not provide funding for these programs and it would be unfair to the kids who are being delayed entry to the classroom.”
“The governor’s proposal would create unequal access to public education throughout the state because policies would vary from district to district,” said Catherine Atkin, president of Preschool California. “The Legislature has already voted to reject the governor’s proposal and districts who are working on transitional kindergarten implementation should continue to do so.”
"The California State PTA strongly supports transitional kindergarten, which prepares children to enter kindergarten ready to learn and prepared to succeed. No child should be denied access to this critical program. We can’t pull the rug out from under families just months before the new school year starts,” said California State PTA President Carol Kocivar.
"This is a pivotal planning time for parents and schools, and it is unacceptable for the governor to again propose turning away up to 125,000 students from transitional kindergarten," said Ada Hand, President of the California Kindergarten Association. "The governor's proposal would likely not save any money while throwing families and schools into a state of limbo for staffing and scheduling changes."
The Save Kindergarten Coalition of school districts, superintendents, educators, parents, business and civic leaders and child advocates reject the governor’s proposal and applauds the California state legislature’s vote to follow the Kindergarten Readiness Act that established transitional kindergarten and remains state law. Learn more about the Save Kindergarten Campaign at: www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/savekindergarten.
Fully implementing transitional kindergarten is in accordance with The Kindergarten Readiness Act – the California law that changed the kindergarten entry date so that children enter school at age 5 and establishing transitional kindergarten, a developmentally-appropriate grade to serve those younger students with birthdays between September and December. The governor’s budget proposal is at odds with The Kindergarten Readiness Act, which remains the law and could impact 1 out of 4 kindergarten-aged students.
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About Preschool California
Preschool California is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to increase access to high-quality early learning for all of California’s children, starting with those who need it most. Learn more at:
www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/savekindergarten.
California State Assembly and Senate district maps illustrating the number of kids who could lose their right to kindergarten this fall in each legislative district are available at: http://www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/resources/resource-files/tk-assembly-map.pdf and http://www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/resources/resource-files/tk-senate-map.pdf.
A map of California school districts implementing transitional kindergarten is available at www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/tkmap.
Impacted parent profiles and photos are available at: www.earlyedgecalifornia.org/tkparents.
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