Chapter 382
2012 -- H 8049
Enacted 06/21/12
A N A C T
RELATING TO
EDUCATION - KINDERGARTEN
Introduced By: Representatives Hearn, Fox, DaSilva, Ferri, and McNamara
Date Introduced: April 05, 2012
It is enacted by the
General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled
"EDUCATION" is hereby amended
by adding thereto the following chapter:
CHAPTER
99
FULL-DAY
KINDERGARTEN ACCESSIBILITY ACT
16-99-1. Short title.
-- This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Full-Day
Kindergarten Accessibility Act.”
16-99-2. Legislative findings.-- The general assembly hereby finds and
declares as
follows:
(1) According to the
kindergarten classes make greater academic gains in both reading
and mathematics compared to
those in half-day classes;
(2) According to Kids
achievement gaps between lower and higher income children;
(3) According to the
classes are more likely than half-day classes to instruct
students daily in the areas of mathematics,
social studies and science;
(4) According to Kids
ready for first grade than those in half-day programs,
regardless of family income, parental
education and school characteristics; and
(5) While this act
does not mandate school districts to operate a full-day kindergarten
program, it provides limited one-time, start-up funding for
school districts that move to provide
students with access to full-day kindergarten programs,
distributed on a competitive basis.
16-99-3. Full-day kindergarten.
-- (a) For the purpose of this chapter, the term “full-day
kindergarten” means a kindergarten program that operates a minimum
of five and one-half (5
1/2) hours or three hundred thirty (330) minutes of
actual school work, excluding lunch, recess
periods, common planning time, pre- and post-school teacher
time, study halls, homeroom
periods, student passing time and any other time that is not
actual instructional time.
(b) The commissioner
of elementary and secondary education has discretion to further
define and approve full-day kindergarten programs consistent
with this section.
16-99-4. Eligible school districts;
funding. -- (a) A
school district shall be eligible to
receive funding pursuant to subsection 16-96-4(b), if:
(1) The school
district is a public school district; and
(2) The school
district operates a half-day kindergarten program as of September 1, 2011,
but not a full-day kindergarten, as defined herein,
serving more than one-half of the kindergarten
students in the district as determined on a headcount basis.
(b) Subject to
appropriation, beginning with school year 2013-2014, the commissioner of
elementary and secondary education shall approve up to four (4)
eligible public school districts
per year to voluntarily implement a full-day kindergarten
program as defined herein. The
aforementioned schools shall receive funding to offset a portion of the
reasonable one-time, start-
up costs including, but not limited to, desks, books,
facility upgrades and any other necessary
expenses associated with each school’s implementation of a
full-day kindergarten program.
Funds will be appropriated based upon criteria
established by the commissioner of elementary
and secondary education to ensure the quality and
sustainability of the full-day kindergarten
programs implemented.
(c) If more than four
(4) eligible school districts apply in one year, or if the appropriation
does not support four (4) eligible districts, the
commissioner of elementary and secondary
education shall determine which districts shall access the
available funds for start-up costs. The
commissioner’s decision may consider the ability of the district to
house the kindergarten
enrollment, implement a quality full-day program and sustain the
program once implemented, and
the decision should maximize the number of students that
can enter full-day kindergarten
program for that year.
(d) School districts
receiving funds pursuant to this chapter must operate only a full-day
program, no half-day programs. The full-day
kindergarten program must continue to operate for
five (5) years.
(e) All funding
provided under this section is subject to appropriation.
16-99-5. Reporting.
-- The
education shall report to the senate president, speaker of the
house, and the governor on the
progress of this initiative on or before May 1st, 2013, and on
an annual basis by May 1st of each
year thereafter.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC02259
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