Posted on 05/23/2002 7:32:48 AM PDT by Truth Addict
School districts try to save pre-K
By Lori Horvitz | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted May 22, 2002
Three Central Florida counties have joined a number of Florida districts sidestepping state policy by paying to keep pre-kindergarten classes in the public schools rather than steering poor children to privately owned day care.
The brewing battle between the districts and the state centers on competing needs: Better education or making it easier for welfare recipients to find and keep jobs.
Schools want to put more low-income children into their preschool classes -- taught by certified teachers -- to prepare them for kindergarten and give them a jump-start on reading.
The state wants to put more children into day care -- with lower-paid workers who are not teachers -- so that more poor parents can find work and stay off welfare. The all-day, year-round programs are cheaper and serve more children.
This quality-versus-quantity struggle has unfolded across Florida. However, so far, only Orange, Osceola, Brevard and Miami-Dade have refused to relinquish their programs. These districts have decided to spend as much money as they can on pre-kindergarten for the poorest children in the poorest schools.
"We are unwilling to take these teachers out of the classroom," said Cynthia Muller, a Miami-Dade district administrator. "The school district did not want to compromise quality."
But supporters of the day-care option say the districts are fighting because they don't want to give up control and lose teachers. They also say there is no proof that pre-kindergarten programs in Florida's public schools do a better job than day-care centers of preparing children for school.
"This really has little to do with children," said Butch Cronon, a private day-care owner in Winter Park. "It has everything to do with power and money."
1,000 fewer kids in Orange
In Orange, it means 600 children will be in pre-kindergarten next school year instead of the 1,600 enrolled this year. The district is paying for the $2 million program with cash left over from this year, as well as federal funds -- otherwise known as Title I -- set aside for poor children.
Susie Brower, who teaches pre-kindergarten at Zellwood Elementary, bemoaned the loss of the program at her school. Zellwood is among the 74 schools that are losing their pre-kindergarten programs next school year.
"The readiness skills that these children learn in my classroom are just so important to their basic learning," Brower said. "They start learning to read because we read to them. We do math. They are also learning social skills. We do all of those things that a lot of our children don't get at home."
The state used to pay school districts directly for their preschool programs, which serve 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income families.
But a 1999 law changed that, and since last year local coalitions of appointed volunteers from public agencies and private groups decide which preschools and child-care centers receive state funding. They're part of a system called the Florida Partnership for School Readiness.
Children from infancy to age 5 who are at risk of failing are targeted. The coalitions are supposed to ensure that programs are available to help this group get ready for school.
Fast-growing counties, where school officials say they aren't getting enough money from the Legislature, should spend their money on other needs, Cronon said.
"These are the same school districts that have been saying that they have overcrowded classrooms and shortages of teachers," Cronon, a member of the state partnership and the Orange County coalition, said Tuesday. "They could use those teachers to reduce class sizes."
But school officials in Orange and Osceola said they tried to work with the coalitions but decided that new state rules would have forced them to lower their standards.
The state now requires the coalitions to pay school districts the same amount they pay private preschools and child-care centers. But pre-kindergarten in public schools is more expensive to operate because classes are headed by certified teachers and teaching assistants.
Miami-Dade school officials said they are dipping into federal money to pay the $25 million it costs to serve 3,600 children.
Four school districts -- Sarasota, Hendry, Highlands and Lafayette counties -- already have decided to discontinue preschool classes. Orange appeared headed in that direction until school officials changed their minds last week after being unable to craft an agreement with the local coalition.
Osceola foots the bill
Osceola County also is staying in the preschool business without coalition money.
The School Board is going to spend $590,000 in district and federal money to help keep the program in place for 188 children next school year. There are slots for another 120 children, whose parents have to pay a weekly fee.
Plans to work with the local coalition fell apart in April after the district lost its contract, which meant the schools would be treated just like other private providers.
In Osceola, where families move often to find work, school officials worried about maintaining a steady enrollment of eligible 4-year-olds.
Under the revamped child-care system, coalition dollars follow the children, whether they enroll in pre-kindergarten in a public school or a private center. So a drop in enrollment also means less funding.
Osceola also disliked a new rule requiring both parents to be employed in order for their children to receive state funding for child care.
School officials said that would limit their ability to help the target population of low-income children whose parents may or may not work.
"We really do need to keep a quality pre-kindergarten school-readiness program in place, and I guess we've got to step up and do it," said Judy Robertson, an Osceola School Board member.
Other counties cut back
Cronon, from the state partnership, said parents, particularly those at home, have the primary responsibility of taking care of their children. He also said that school officials are missing a crucial point of the readiness law -- to help families take care of themselves.
"With both parents working, that's self-sufficiency," Cronon said. "I don't think any of us should usurp a parent's role or let them out of the responsibility of preparing their children for school."
In Volusia, school officials are trying to work with the local coalition, though they anticipate having to reduce the number of kids served from 580 to 400.
Lake County plans to sign a contract with the local coalition, but the School Board will need to dip into federal funds for $100,000 to cover the program for 316 children.
In Seminole County, School Board members are expected to discuss the district's options May 28.
Because of the rule requiring both parents to work, the district determined that only 116 of 380 4-year-olds would qualify next school year for preschool subsidies, Deputy Superintendent Dianne Kramer said.
The staff recommends the district continue offering pre-kindergarten at the current sites. If too few students enroll, then the district could consolidate programs later.
Cronon said he does think schools should stay involved in preschool.
"In every community, there are certain areas where the most appropriate place for these children to be taken care of is in the public schools," he said. "It may be a quality issue. It may be a transportation issue. But I think it's incumbent on the school districts to figure out a way to work with the coalitions to find a way to do this."
Letitia Stein and Denise-Marie Balona of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Lori Horvitz can be reached at lhorvitz@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5273.
Copyright © 2002, Orlando Sentinel
She is bothered by the insistance on the part of certified teachers that non-certified teachers cannot do an adequate job of teaching pre-schoolers. The kids coming out of her school are far better prepared for kindergarten than those who attend the public pre-k classes because they teach them phonics, which is not done in the public system. It is not rocket science to teach these young children, and does not necessarily require a college degree.
BTW, I have participated in FR since '98, and this is my first time posting an article; I hope I did OK!
I homeschool, and believe me, my twelve year old can teach my four year old what she needs to know! This is a power grab, pure and simple.
The NEA and feminists' goal is to put all kids in public school by age two or three, and it has to start somewhere.
Yes, private school IS better. I went to a private daycare/pre-K, and came out reading whole sentences (I was ready and a very intelligent child). My problem is that then I attended public school after that.
While there are many talented and resourcefull teachers in the public system, your comments directed at the teachers unions and educational beaureaucrats are very true.
Thanks for your input and your kind words.
Is there any evidence that this makes a difference? Or is even important?
My children all started out either in homeschool or private schools, although they either finished or are still in the public system. I believe the private education they all received in the earlier years has helped them to excell in the later years.
While it may be important for schools to insist on a teaching degree if, for nothing else, to try to weed out the incompetents, I can see no extra benefits on insisting on them for pre-K.
The state classes that my wife was required to complete to get a CDA certificate stressed how it was wrong to try to teach skills that were too advanced, and this means that bright kids are prevented from learning in the public settings because those skills are not allowed to be taught.
So, to answer your questions: No on both counts! Sometimes it is even an impediment to learning.
Your thoughts on this?
Congratulations on a wise choice. We homeschooled our oldest through all of elementary school, and she had an excellent education. Circumstances have not allowed that option for us since.
The simply amazing thing about this article is that these school districts are so desperate to hang onto these pre-k classes, that they are moving funds from other areas to pay for them, since the state is only allowing the same (lower) rate as what the private schools charge. They are not interested in what is best for the children, they want control! The higher grade level classes are being denied funds and teachers so that they can keep control over these younger kids.
This quote from the article is pertinent:
"These are the same school districts that have been saying that they have overcrowded classrooms and shortages of teachers," Cronon, a member of the state partnership and the Orange County coalition, said Tuesday. "They could use those teachers to reduce class sizes."
It's kind of in between; she gets both kinds of families.
these kids who often attend public school pre-K would not be attending your wife's pre-K school anyway because they can't afford it.
This is where you are confused. There are many kids in the school who receive government assistance that pays for the entire tuition, which costs the state far less than providing the same class in a public school. The new law now only provides the same amount of money per student regardless of them being in a private or public school. Since the public schools cannot afford to provide the classes at that rate, they are being forced to cease the pre-K classes or make up the loss in revenue from other sources. Orange County is spending an extra two million dollars of surplus money next year to make up this difference, but where will the extra money be the next year?
I imagine her school is not impacted by the students being served in public school pre-K.
If the public system can succeed in keeping all these kids in their system, then it does impact the pool of students that are available for the private sector. More importantly, though, is the concept that I believe the private pre-schools are able to provide a better educational experience at a lower cost, and yet the public school teachers and beaureaucrats do not want to give up the control that they have over childrens' lives. They keep expanding their influence into younger years as well as post high school. It's a power and control issue.
Three Central Florida counties have joined a number of Florida districts sidestepping state policy
These counties are trying to find ways to circumvent state policy passed by our elected representatives.
competing needs: Better education or making it easier for welfare recipients to find and keep jobs.
The stated assumption is that the public schools provied better education than privaate schools. My own experience as well as most studies insist that that is not true. Almost all experts outside the public system and teachers unions agree that private schoold provide better education.
Schools want to put more low-income children into their preschool classes -- taught by certified teachers -- to prepare them for kindergarten and give them a jump-start on reading.
Again the assumption that "certified teachers" do a better job is unsupported. One other point about this is the question of what is a "certified teacher"? The state has mandated that even private pre-schools must have teachers with a CDA degree, and these schools are working towards that goal. This is a form of teaching certificate, so it should qualify its holder as a "certified teacher". Even some counties, such as Seminole, allow teachers with "only" a CDA to teach their pre-K classes, so this is a red herring.
The state wants to put more children into day care -- with lower-paid workers who are not teachers
This statement is false; private school teachers may be paid less than their public counterparts, but they are still teachers!
"We are unwilling to take these teachers out of the classroom," said Cynthia Muller, a Miami-Dade district administrator. "The school district did not want to compromise quality."
So, this administrator is willing to flount the law to satisfy her erroneous perception that public school education provides better quality education?
But school officials in Orange and Osceola said they tried to work with the coalitions but decided that new state rules would have forced them to lower their standards.
How does sending kids to private pre-schools that provide a superior education force these counties to "lower their standards"? My answer: it doesn't, the opposite is true.
Osceola also disliked a new rule requiring both parents to be employed in order for their children to receive state funding for child care.
This rule simply states that if a two-parent family has one parent who does not work, the child should stay at home with the child. IMHO, this is the best place for any pre-K child.
Cronon, from the state partnership, said parents, particularly those at home, have the primary responsibility of taking care of their children. He also said that school officials are missing a crucial point of the readiness law -- to help families take care of themselves.
Well stated, Mr. Cronon!
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