The School Committee has been discussing the topic of requesting funding for full-day kindergarten in recent meetings in September, November and this week, and it is beginning to appear that the School Committee will ask Town Meeting for funding in a proposal that will focus half-day and full-day kindergarten classes at the Westlands School, shifting Community Education elsewhere.
However, as Chelmsford's tax rate continues to rise, the question remains whether voters accept what School Committee member Nick DiSilvio indicated would be nearly $1 million extra per year in added costs for the school budget each year.
Today, we want to pose that question to you: is full-day kindergarten an inherent right for all Chelmsford children just like schooling at higher levels is, is it a luxury that the town can't afford, or do half-day programs work just as well for little ones still getting acclimated to a school environment?
For that matter, would Chelmsford voters accept an override vote to afford full-day kindergarten like Wellesley and Rockport?
Is a tuition-based approach best? It's common along the I-495 belt, but the School Committee is opposed to it, seeing it as a tax shouldered only by specific families.
And on the other hand, would Chelmsford be losing out if it does not invest in full-day kindergarten? One key attribute for any new resident when looking for a town is the quality of its school system, and reports from the National Education Association indicate that for every $1 spent on kindergarten, society sees a net return of $3 or even higher.
So today, we ask you -- what's your take? Tell us in the comments.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
