Winni school board supports full-day kindergarten

NORTHFIELD — The Winnisquam Regional School Board is supporting an expansion to full-day kindergarten, saying it would have no impact on the school budget.

Superintendent Shannon Bartlett explained that providing full-day kindergarten classes would eliminate a requirement for the district to provide noontime transportation for those students. The district had budgeted for three noon buses but learned that four buses would be required, adding $20,000 to the anticipated cost this year.

Expanding kindergarten to a full day would require adding 2.5 full-time-equivalent teaching positions, with some additional costs for furniture and supplies, Bartlett said. In addition to eliminating the cost of the noon buses, the additional expense of full-day kindergarten can be offset by teacher retirements and classroom furniture that can be acquired from other local schools, according to the superintendent.

“We’re really looking at zero impact,” Bartlett told the school board.

While there had been some concern about finding enough space at Sanbornton Central School to accommodate the students, Principal Jason Javalgi assured the board that, by shuffling some of the classroom and conference space, the school would be able to accommodate them.

During the public comment period, one speaker questioned whether the board was taking into consideration the number of students currently in private kindergarten that might switch to public kindergarten if it became a full-day program. This year’s first-grade class reportedly had 20 unanticipated students who had been attending private kindergarten.

The school board will be forwarding its spending proposals, including full-day kindergarten, to the district’s budget committee for review.

The $26,949,336 budget proposal includes a capital expenditure of $170,000 for a photovoltaic system on the roof of the Southwick School. The solar power system is anticipated to save $30,000 per year in electricity at the current rate.

The district also has received a $315,000 Security Action For Education grant that will allow it to upgrade some of the exterior doors to provide secure entrances.

Facilities Director Robert Berry also said he plans to replace the roofs on some of the outbuildings.

“We have a number of our buildings that have asphalt roofs on them that every time the wind blows more than five miles per hour, we find shingles on the ground,” Berry said.

The board also discussed the possibility of increasing the pay offered to substitute teachers, currently at $80 per day, and that of paraprofessionals, currently $13 per hour. The district has had a hard time hiring under the current pay scale, and currently has 10 unfilled paraprofessional positions.

One member of the audience commented that, at $13 per hour, a paraprofessional could earn more money working at Dunkin’ Donuts.

“No knock on Dunkin’ Donuts, but they're not getting kicked in the shins and punched and sworn at on a daily basis,” he said.