School board votes unanimously to provide more learning time for young students
Full-day kindergarten is coming to 4J schools. The Eugene School Board has voted to move forward with implementing full-day “K” across the district next year.
The evidence shows that full-day kindergarten benefits students. It contributes to increased school readiness, leads to higher academic achievement, improves student attendance, and supports literacy and language development (read more). However, in the past the State of Oregon has only provided enough funding for half-day kindergarten. That is about to change.
The 2011 Oregon Legislature changed the funding structure for schools effective in 2015–16. In years past, school districts received only half the regular amount of funding for each kindergartener. Starting next school year, schools will receive a full student’s amount of funding for each full-day kindergarten student, and a half-rate of funding if they continue with half-day kindergarten. Each district still will make its own decision about whether to have full-day or half-day kindergarten.
A full-day kindergarten implementation team has been planning for how to make this big change across our district, looking at issues from staffing to instructional changes to facility space. Now, with the school board’s unanimous approval, 4J is poised to take this significant step forward for our youngest students next year.
Read the Full-Day Kindergarten and Early Learning Work Group Recommendations Report (COSA/OASE)
