Eye On Illinois: School facilities, staff levels not ready for kindergarten expansion

A strong foundation is essential, which is why now isn’t the time for Illinois to mandate full-day kindergarten.

To be clear, this isn’t a statement about the value of such an approach. As the father of four boys, we’ve done full-day kindergarten in a special education environment, mainstream half-day and full-day kindergarten (in two different districts) and a normal year of full-day kindergarten interrupted by COVID-19 and then two months of fighting over an iPad for three hours every morning.

As our boys continue to move through the public education system I grow increasingly aware of the difficulty of attempting blanket solutions (don’t get me started on counting our preschool buffet), but I appreciate the intentions of House Bill 2396, which the House passed 87-23 Thursday, according to Capitol News Illinois.

Under the plan, school boards would have to offer full-day kindergarten starting in August 2027. But as much as I agree with people like state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, who said, “kindergarten is a pivotal piece of a child’s learning journey,” it seems a prudent time to listen to her colleagues like state Rep. Dan Swanson, R-Alpha:

“When this goes into effect in 2027, are we going to be ramped up enough to be able to provide additional teachers throughout kindergartens across Illinois?”

The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools’ annual study on teacher shortages (iarss.org/2022-educator-shortage) indicated 79% of districts have a shortage, 93% of those say the problem is as bad or worse as the prior year, 92% can’t get enough substitutes and so on.

Earlier this month Gov. JB Pritzker promoted plans to spend $70 million in each of the next three years to let 170 school districts accounting for 80% of all unfilled positions apply for Teacher Pipeline Grants. Capitol News Illinois said districts could use the funds for things like signing bonuses, housing stipends, down-payment assistance, providing residencies or apprenticeships, tuition and fee reimbursement or to provide supplies, coaching, extra support and more.

Those are good ideas, but it’s a little early to judge their efficacy. Which gives a push to expand educational offerings – at local expense – the potential to exacerbate an unsolved problem.

Staffing concerns aren’t all. Emily Warnecke, Illinois Association of School Administrators chief of staff, told CNI her organization supports the movement, but members are concerned about forcing districts to find money to expand school facilities to accommodate full-day programs. Although 80% of districts offer a full-day option, “the vast majority” of those that don’t lack the space, Warnecke said.

If full-day kindergarten is the best thing for Illinois children – I’m sold – lawmakers have work to do before forcing the issue. Why increase stress on a field struggling to flourish?

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on Twitter @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.