The School Committee is set to consider changing the cutoff date for eligibility to enroll in kindergarten, a discussion sparked in part by parents who appeared before the committee to lobby its members to change the rules. The parents were inspired to do so because their child was ineligible to enroll in kindergarten because he was born on Sept. 2 — just one day past the Sept. 1 eligibility line.
Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne said she was working to convene a meeting of the Quality and Standards Subcommittee to discuss potentially changing the decades-old policy, but indicated no movement would begin until subcommittee members had the chance to hear from educators who would provide their opinions on whether or not the district would be well served by shifting the date. Dunne added that the work of considering a change in policy would “take a while.”
But, unsatisfied with the apparent delay, Committee member Jarrod Hochman moved to have Superintendent of Schools Josh Vadala work with Dunne to identify the personnel necessary to discuss the issue prior to the committee’s next meeting, set for Nov. 14.
“To accept that we can’t have people within our district who work with the population we’re talking about get together to talk about pros and cons about changing the policy… for that not to be able to happen within three weeks, that’s not acceptable to me,” Hochman said.
At the request of Committee member Joe Amico, who chaired the meeting in the absence of both Mayor Ted Bettencourt and Committee member John Olimpio, Hochman amended his motion to set the date for issuance of a report — either by Vadala or the subcommittee — for Nov. 28.
No member seconded Hochman’s motion, with Committee member Brandi Carpenter asking Vadala what he thought was realistic.
Vadala stopped short of lobbying against the policy change, noting that the district would follow whatever policy the committee voted to set, but said he felt changing the Sept. 1 date, which is the cutoff for 86% of schools statewide, to another arbitrary date would lead to the same issue the committee is attempting to solve. He said he could work to convene whatever officials the committee felt it necessary to speak with, but indicated many district employees would not be comfortable appearing before the full committee.
“Whatever the committee needs to set their policy, I’m happy to do,” Vadala said. “I know Sept. 1 was selected for a reason.”
Amico said he thought the committee does not need to pull all the relevant educators in to appear before the full body, but warned against relying too heavily on the opinions of others, with the committee needing to take on the responsibility of making policy itself.
“There’s no glory in what we do,” he said.
Hochman said he simply sought the information necessary to make an informed decision on the merits of keeping the date where it is, moving it, or even switching to a rolling-admissions system.
“We have this policy that’s in place that says kindergarten students need to be a certain age. All I’m saying at this point is maybe we should rethink that,” he said. “All I’m asking for is the information and the opportunity to rethink that.”
Vadala forcefully rejected the suggestion of a rolling-admissions system, calling it “problematic” and emphasizing the need for continuity in education. And, he said, should the district enroll groups of students throughout the year, it would not secure necessary funding from the state because funding is tied to state reporting.
He also emphasized the need to set a date for kindergarten-enrollment eligibility because certain age levels meet certain educational or emotional triggers, and noted that students with late August birthdays tend to struggle.
Vadala also argued that no matter how the committee acts, any new date would cause frustration and headaches for at least one student and their family.
“A change in policy is typically a reason to solve a problem, I don’t know that this solves a problem or (if) it creates more,” he said. “What does it mean for anyone who last year we did not afford this opportunity to or the year before we didn’t afford this opportunity to?”
Dunne said she wanted the subcommittee to meet with the educators so they could get a sense of the rationale behind setting the Sept. 1 date in the first place, and added there were scheduling concerns to take into account regarding any meeting.
Carpenter seemed to resolve the situation by asking Vadala to poll district staff and gather information on the committee’s behalf, which could then be presented to members when a report is complete.
Hochman ultimately withdrew his motion and asked that the matter be placed on the agenda for Nov. 28.
