Preview: School Board to Tackle Kindergarten Tuition Tomorrow
The Mehlville School District takes on the issue of free full-day kindergarten Thursday night.
How much will parents pay to send their kindergarteners to Mehlville's full day program next year? That's the question the Mehlville School District Board of Education will take on Thursday night.
Want to comment? Want to tell the school board your thoughts about free, full-day kindergarten? Parents and community members can address the board at Thursday's 7 p.m. meeting at the administration building at 3120 Lemay Ferry Road. Be sure to fill out a speaker's card.
Mehlville is one of only four districts in Missouri that charges tuition for its full-day kindergarten, and tuition-free classes have grown in popularity nationwide. The three remaining districts are also in St. Louis County: Lindbergh, Rockwood and Webster Groves school districts. Kirkwood School District most recently switched to a tuition-free program in December.
The decision comes down to the numbers: Only if more than 600 families enroll in the 2013-14 full-day kindergarten class will the school district will recieve enough state funding to offer the program without tuition costs or dipping into the district's budget. Otherwise, the district charges more than $2,000 per year.
Parents will still have the opportunity to enroll their children in the half-day program.
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PaulRevere
1:36 pm on Monday, December 3, 2012
Get your Refunds! ? Maybe!?
Why has Mehlville been charging $2,000 Tuition for
Kindergarten children? Public Schools are supposed to be FREE.
Here's my reason:
Missouri's constitution states:
"FREE PUBLIC SCHOOLS providing "gratuitous Instruction" for all persons ages , prior to age 21."
Kindergarten is for ages "prior to age 21", isn't it?
So, why has Mehlville been charging $2,000 tuitions?