Eastbayri.com

EAST PROVIDENCE — There will be all day kindergarten in East Providence next year.

On Thursday afternoon, Feb. 2, the East Providence Budget Commission decided not to move forward with reducing the program to half day status for the 2012-13 school year. The potential reduction has been a much-talked-about topic as of late after it was listed as one of several recommendations in a recently completed management audit.

The report, performed by B and E Consulting, of Providence, stated all day kindergarten could be an area of cost savings since only half day kindergarten is mandated by state law. The report also stated that should such a move be enacted, the school department would have the opportunity to realize further savings by closing Oldham Elementary School.

One of the issues surrounding all day kindergarten that forced a decision at this point in time is a requirement that any teacher layoff notices be issued by March 1. School department finance director Mary King said if the decision was made to move forward with reducing all day kindergarten and closing Oldham, the result would be about 100 layoff notices to teachers and teacher assistants.

Ms. King said it would be helpful for the school department to receive its answer on Thursday. The only school committee meeting currently scheduled for this month is Feb. 14. Anyone who is being considered for potential layoff, Ms. King said, must be notified both before the school committee takes up the topic and afterwards if the layoff is enacted.

Though the school committee won’t have to vote on such layoffs this year, the group has made its stance on all day kindergarten clear. At its most recent meeting, the school committee voted unanimously against reducing the program back to half day status.

The current school year is the first to see full day kindergarten implemented at every school in the district.

Both at Thursday’s meeting and a previous session, East Providence City Manager and budget commission member Peter Graczykowski said he would like to maintain the flexibility afforded by issuing the layoff notices. The school department has the option of re-calling any individual who has received a layoff notice provided they do so by the end of the school year. If a re-call isn’t issued, any laid-off individual is eligible for unemployment on July 1.

Budget commission chairman Michael O’Keefe, on the other hand, has repeatedly stated he would not be on board with issuing a mass round of layoff notices, especially those that later prove unnecessary. Mr. O’Keefe said such a move would be disruptive to families, parents and teachers.

One source of revenue that could help make-up for the funds that reportedly could be saved through the all day kindergarten reduction is state education aid. Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee’s fiscal year 2013 budget proposal calls for an acceleration of a state education funding formula, paid for through increases on taxes such as the meals tax.

Whether this extra revenue is contained in the state’s final budget, however, won’t be seen for another several months. The matter now moves to the General Assembly.

Mr. O’Keefe said should this increased education aid not hold up through the budget process, he will turn to a commitment from the school committee to explore savings in other areas. Additionally, the fact that all day kindergarten has been preserved for next year does not guarantee it will be around the year after.