With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
LAUSD plans to lengthen preschool day, cutting thousands of seats
Listen
• 0:55
The Los Angeles Unified School District board takes up a proposed budget plan Tuesday that calls for cuts in preschool seats.
(
Ashley Myers-Turner/KPCC
)
When the Los Angeles Unified school board considers the district's budget plan next Tuesday, it will also review a proposal to cut about 3,000 preschool seats and lengthen class time for four-year-olds in greatest need.
The School Readiness Language Development Program served more than 10,000 students last year by taking in one group of children in the morning and another in the afternoon.
Instead, Superintendent Ramon Cortines wants kids to stick around for the entire school day in a preschool program called Transitional Kindergarten so the district can grow the number of full-time students and receive more funding from the state.
Some preschool teachers worry the kids aren’t ready for six hours of school – with no nap time.
Support for LAist comes from
"We feel the change needs to be piloted, needs to be developmentally appropriate, and it needs to have input from teachers – and this had no input from teachers," said SRLDP teacher Ingrid Gunnell from Lane Elementary School in Monterey Park.
While Gunnell advocates in favor of keeping SRLDP's half-day schedule, board member Monica Ratliff said more time means more learning for the children.
“I think it will benefit them to have greater exposure to each other – the socialization aspect is very important – and I think the exposure to experiences," Ratliff said.
Ratliff supports pushing out the cutoff age for children allowed to enroll in Transitional Kindergarten so that students who turn five before March 31 would be eligible for a seat. That is four months later than the previous cutoff date.
Priority will be given to low-income students. A family of four will need to make less than $43,000 a year to qualify.
But options outside L.A. Unified's Transitional Kindergarten program are growing: the state budget plan negotiated by Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers calls for an additional $265 million to fund 7,000 more preschool seats and 6,800 child care seats while increasing the rate paid to providers.
The state budget plan is up for a vote by the legislature on Friday.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. -
Users of the century old Long Beach wooden boardwalk give these suggestions to safely enjoy it. -
The Newport Beach City Council approved a new artificial surf park that will replace part of an aging golf course. -
The utility, whose equipment is believed to have sparked the Eaton Fire, says payouts could come as quickly as four months after people submit a claim. But accepting the money means you'll have to forego any lawsuits. -
The City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposal to study raising the pay for construction workers on apartments with at least 10 units and up to 85 feet high. -
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol.
Best of LAist