Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Nearly all school districts get okay to offer pre-K

Fifty-nine of 67 school districts met class-size requirements this year to provide prekindergarten.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published April 13, 2005

When they wrote the state's voluntary prekindergarten law, lawmakers made one thing clear: Reducing class size must come first.

If a school district could not meet class-size requirements through 2010, they said, it could not offer pre-K. School officials said such a restriction would disqualify all districts from participating.

On Tuesday, Education Commissioner John Winn put public schools back in the fold. Any district that met class-size requirements this year, he said, can offer pre-K in the fall. "I do not think the intent was to decertify every school district," Winn said.

The change means 59 of Florida's 67 districts can provide pre-K if they choose, potentially easing concerns that private schools might not be able to provide seats for all of the 150,000 4-year-olds expected to apply.

Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Citrus school districts got the go-ahead. The Hernando school district, which did not meet class-size requirements this school year, did not.

Winn said the decision on whether to offer pre-K is up to each district, which must balance space, demand and cost when considering their options.

"The only constitutional mandate that a school district has is class size," Winn said. "They do not have a constitutional obligation to provide voluntary pre-K programs."

Jim Hamilton, the chief of staff for Hillsborough schools, said he would recommend against offering the program beyond existing early childhood classes.

The district has severe space constraints, he said, and the state isn't providing additional resources.

Pinellas County officials took a similar stance.

"The answer is going to be no," associate superintendent Jan Rouse said. "We will be doing a summer program in summer 2006, but not a school year program."

Too many aspects of pre-K, from teacher credentialing to curriculum expectations, remain unclear, Rouse said. Space concerns also factor into the decision, she said.

Pasco and Citrus school officials could not be reached Tuesday.

David Lawrence, who helped orchestrate passage of the 2002 constitutional amendment that authorized pre-K, called Winn's action "significant."

The original intention always was to involve public schools as a choice for parents who want to send their children to prekindergarten, Lawrence said. Winn's action gives school districts the chance to be major players.

"That can only be good news for quality, only good news for choice," Lawrence said.

Libby Doggett, of the national advocacy group Pre-K Now, also saw the change as positive. School districts will use certified teachers, she said, which will improve instruction.

She understood that some districts might balk at the proposed state funding level of $2,500 per student, or say they don't have space. But some will see the long-range education and cost implications of preparing 4-year-olds for kindergarten and jump in, she said.

Linda Alexionok, of the Tallahassee-based Children's Campaign, wasn't so sure. While she applauds the inclusion of public schools, Alexionok said the commissioner's ruling helps in theory only.

"The question for us still remains: What changed with school systems, that the commissioner knows that we don't, that gives them the ability to do this now? And where will the classrooms be?" she asked. "Where's the beef? This announcement did not change the issue at hand."

Another concern is whether the eight counties barred from participating will have enough seats for the children who want pre-K. One of the eight - Union County - has preregistered only three providers, none of which is committed to the program.

Lawrence said that's a problem for the state. "The state has the obligation to see that all 4-year-olds in those counties have the wherewithal to participate," he said.

Winn said it was that mandate that prompted him to open the door to as many school districts as possible.

"I am relieved we're able to make this announcement," he said. "It's our duty to work toward meeting the constitutional mandates and the demands that parents have."

Senate President Tom Lee, R-Brandon, said he would have preferred that lawmakers tackled the issue, but said Winn's action was necessary to make sure Florida has enough pre-K seats.

--Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at 813 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 13, 2005, 05:24:50]