ASSOCIATED ADMINISTRATORS OF LOS ANGELES WEEKLY
UPDATE/www.aala.us/Week of June 22, 2015 | http://bit.ly/1GnxI4k
LAUSD IS EXPANDING TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
6.18.2015 :: In what is an effort to accommodate some of
the children who will be affected by the elimination of forty-five percent of
the SRLDP classrooms in the upcoming school year, the District is expanding its
current Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Program. Currently, TK is open only to
children who reach 5 years of age between September 2 and December 2, but the
expansion plan will make it available to low-income four-year-olds who turn 5
between December 2 and March 31. While LAUSD lobbyists are trying to get legislation
passed that would provide state-funded school for every four-year-old, the
District has begun moving forward with its own plan and will fully fund it. The
TK program will operate for 6 ½ hours per day; SRLDP was offered twice daily
for approximately 2 ½ hours each session.
The Board of Education voted to begin to eliminate SRLDP,
which has the capacity to serve 11,000 children at 290 locations, last March
and will close many classrooms as of June 30. The remaining schools will
eliminate their programs by June 30, 2016. SRLDP enrolls 3- and 4-year-olds and
the expanded TK program will be offered to many of the four-year-olds who are
in the programs that are closing. AALA fully supports the expansion of the
Transitional Kindergarten and wishes that it would be available to all eligible
students. We hope that formal legislation will soon pass that will allow
state-funded public school opportunities for every four-year-old child.
CA + LAUSD BUDGET UPDATE
6.18.2015 :: Governor Brown and the Legislature agreed on
a budget compromise on Tuesday, June 16, 2015, that provides millions more
dollars for preschool, child care, after-school and foster youth programs, as
well as, K-12 schools, community colleges and CSU and UC campuses. The budget
also makes California the first state to provide healthcare for undocumented
children. More than $40 million is in the budget to expand Medi-Cal as of May
2016 to cover all low-income children up to the age of 18, regardless of
immigration status. Other highlights include 7,000 additional state-subsidized
preschool and 6,800 child-care slots, $14.3 billion for K-12 public schools and
community colleges, $380 million for a new earned income tax credit to help the
working poor and $1 billion in deferred payments owed to schools. $500 million
is being allocated for teacher and administrator professional development.
Districts will receive the funding based on the specific number of teachers and
administrators that are employed. Professional development activities can
include training on the Common Core, support and mentors for new teachers and
principals and assistance for those identified as struggling through the Peer
Assistance and Review programs.
For LAUSD, the $7.1 billion budget that was presented to the
Board of Education on June 16, 2015, reflected a 12 percent increase from last
year. However, Superintendent Ramón Cortines and Chief Financial Officer Megan
Reilly said that while projections for 2015-16 and 2016-17 are promising,
increased expenditures due to pension costs, declining enrollment, more special
education services and salary raises will lead to a deficit by 2017-18. The
chart below (from LA School Report) shows the breakdown of expenditures.
●●smf’s 2¢: When an article begins: “In what is an effort to accommodate some of the children who will be affected by the elimination of forty-five percent of the SRLDP classrooms in the upcoming school year” ...one has to believe that the spin is going to approach that of the teacup ride at Disneyland.“The effort” isn’t near enough. Youngsters who should be in preschool – kids whose parents had a reasonable expectation of being in SRLDP – won’t be in any program.The budget says 45% of the SLRDP classrooms will be eliminated – which makes this sound like a Facilities issue about classrooms+seats. The preschool education opportunity for those children who were going to sit in those seats in those classrooms is going to be eliminated …and some of them – some – will be offered something else.To paraphrase: 4LAKids fully supports the expansion of the Transitional Kindergarten and insists that it be available to all eligible students.
Otherwise it’s going to be like the Chicago Cubs: “Maybe next year”. Except next year those 3 or 4 year olds won’t be 3 or 4 years old anymore.See:
- LAUSD plan saves preschool slots with new TK program?| http://bit.ly/1LjUnGf
- ...or do they cut seats?: http://bit.ly/1J81Nf8
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