During the June meeting, the Council Rock School Board voted to approve full-day kindergarten, a move six months in the making that culminated in a 6-3 vote by the board.
Voting in favor of full-day kindergarten with an intended start date of the 2025-26 school year were board members Yota Palli, Ed Tate, Tracey Osecki, Linda Stone, Nicole Khan, and Joe Hidalgo.
Three of the four Republicans on the board, Mike Roosevelt, Bob Hickey, and Anne Horner, voted against the motion, leaving Hidalgo as the only Republican board member to vote in favor of it along with all of his Democratic colleagues.
Nearly all of the board members agreed that full-day kindergarten was a good idea or supported looking more into the matter, although some like Roosevelt and Hickey expressed concerns about tax increases, expedited timelines, and the best way to allocate limited resources.
Especially pertinent was the issue of timelines as the board’s four Republican members expressed interest in the initiative, but only if the timeline was moved back to the 2026-27 school year.
The board’s Democratic members argued that the district and its parents have wanted full-day kindergarten for decades and any further delays would only kick the can down the road further.
Some even accused Republicans on the board of playing politics or purposely delaying the initiative so as to not agree with their Democratic colleagues who for the first time in the district’s history have the majority on the school board.
In any case, full-day kindergarten is now moving full steam ahead in Council Rock, with district administration under the direction of Superintendent Dr. Andrew Sanko aiming to form subcommittees to fully implement the program over the course of the next two years.
In regards to costs for the district as a result of this approval, the program will cost Council Rock taxpayers on average about $36 more a year in taxes to cover the one-time cost of $1.138 million for furniture and supplies and $2.6 million annually for new staffing as needed by the program.
Along with this, the district will actually save around $450,000 in transportation costs due to half-day kindergarten being eliminated and replaced by the full-day program. Tax increases as a result of the program will be spread out over two budget cycles, 0.56 percent in 2024-25 and the remaining tax increase in 2025-2026.
Board President Yota Palli has made full-day kindergarten one of the main initiatives of the new Democratic majority board, saying many hours of hard work and effort have culminated in the approval of the program in Council Rock.
“We strive for educational excellence in this district, and full-day kindergarten is an essential part of that. Adding the extra four hours of kindergarten per day will allow our teachers to fully Implement our reading readiness program and our math bridge program along with all five specials and purposeful play,” Palli said.
“Our students will not need to play catchup and they will be fully prepared for first grade both academically and socially. It will also allow for early intervention and testing if needed. Our student’s high achievement and well-being is our priority. They will be better prepared for their next 12 years in the district,” added Palli.
“We clearly have sufficient space in each and every school to offer full-day kindergarten without affecting the class sizes of other grades and without the need for redistricting. We can offer full-day kindergarten with very limited tax implications. The survey distributed to our district showed support for full-day kindergarten was robust.”
She continued, “Nearly 80% of respondents across all groups support full-day kindergarten. It cannot be a clearer message coming from our community that they want full-day kindergarten. It’s time to vote and deliver the educational excellence that they’re asking for.”
Board Vice President Tate has also been very supportive of the initiative, noting that the survey put out by the district to gauge interest in the program indicated that 60% of parents said the biggest benefit of full-day kindergarten would be supporting working parents, 44% better preparation for grade one, 27% improved academic outcomes, and 24% early identification of learning issues.
“The $2.6 million price tag for this program represents less than 1% of the district’s budget which stands at $280 million. I don’t think any of us have lost sight of the fact that $2.6 million is a lot of money, but we’re talking about an investment in children’s education and that’s why I strongly support this.”
Board member Tracey Osecki added: “Full-day kindergarten is something that has been discussed for decades in Council Rock. Parents have wanted this for so long and we finally have an opportunity to implement it. I’m so excited to vote for this. The community wants it, our schools can accommodate it, and tax increases will be nominal. This is students first, always.”
While still supportive of full-day kindergarten, board member Joe Hidalgo stated that he preferred implementation of the program to begin with the 2026-27 school year to provide a ‘ramp up’ period to ensure the success of the initiative.
“I’m going to vote yes for the second time only because I trust this administration that if they do see bumps in the road they’ll make the proper recommendation to reevaluate and delay if needed. I’m 100% convinced by my colleague’s concerns that putting 24-30 full-time staff members towards one small portion of students may not be the best possible allocation of resources.”
“But I made a promise early on to my constituents that I would try to make this happen. I do see the other side of the coin so it’s definitely a tough decision. But sometimes you have to strike while the iron’s hot. I support this.”
Board member Mike Roosevelt, who did not support the motion to approve full-day kindergarten, expressed concerns about the program.
“I’m not against full-day kindergarten and I am in full support of investing in education. I just have not been convinced that the $2 million to hire 24-30 educators and staff is best directed at this time to full-day kindergarten,” Roosevelt said.
“Instead, it could be directed to reducing class size, having more than one math and one reading specialist in each elementary school, providing more teachers for afternoon clinics or nights for knowledge, and a list of other things.”
“The kids right now in Council Rock have suffered learning loss and there is a need for more help for students in reading, writing, and arithmetic. This decision ignores that. I’m not against full-day kindergarten, but I believe educational results would be greater if directed in other educational areas to help the district’s current student body.”
Board member Bob Hickey also expressed concerns about the full-day kindergarten program, highlighting many unknowns he says make it difficult for him to support the program, especially before the 2026-27 school year.
“I am not opposed to full-day kindergarten, there is a redeeming value to the idea, however at what cost? What is the return on the investment? As a school board member, I’m tasked with making value decisions. I try to weigh all the factors and make decisions that are best for the entire district with the main component being our student population,” Hickey said.
He added, “Keep in mind this is not a one-year cost. We need to hire 24-30 faculty members, and going by the presentation that was shown tonight, that number is closer to 35. They’ll work for at least 30 years with raises along the way. This is a long-term investment. Is it worth it? I don’t know.”
“I do know that we have to raise taxes an extra 20% on this year’s budget to fund it. Is that fair to the overwhelming majority of residents including our seniors who have to pay for it? I don’t know. Another common thread I heard was that 87% of Pennsylvania school districts have full-day kindergarten and 11 out of 13 in Bucks County have it,” Hickey said.
“I heard just get in the game, we’re behind the times, or as the Nike commercials say, ‘Just do it’. Council Rock has always been a top-performing district in the state and to the best of my knowledge, five of the ten top-performing school districts in the state currently do not offer full-day kindergarten. Will full-day kindergarten make us better? I don’t know,” Hickey said.
Despite the wide range of opinions on the matter, Council Rock administration will move forward with the implementation of full-day kindergarten in the district.
The program will officially kick off at the start of the 2025-2026 school year.
