Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Rigelman - Loss of State Dollars

Mr. Rigelman,

I heard that 92% of the public opposes all-day, every other day kindergarten in Pickerington.

As a kindergarten parent, you should know I have lots of choices to send my five-year old daughter. Every pre-school in the area offers kindergarten for almost nothing.

How much many will you lose in state aid if 10%, 20% or 40% send our children elsewhere?

By Jenny Nicoa

Heritage Teachers


Heritage Elementary kindergarten teachers have already started lesson plans for all day kindergarten.

When will we know what you are doing?

By Need a Final Decision

Not a financial detriment

The only issue for me is whether an all-day, every other day format would have a significantly adverse effect on the educational quality of our program. We voted on the recommendation of our administration, and in the belief that the evidence was not compelling one way or the other.

However, I plan to look at the educational literature on the subject myself. I listened carefully and with an open mind to the parents who spoke at the last board meeting, and they have raised serious doubt in my mind on that question and, as a board member, it is part of my job to listen to voters and, in some cases, to reconsider my decisions. It would be a sorry world if people were unwilling to change their minds or to reconsider their decisions for fear of losing face.

As to the financial impact of parents sending their children to private kindergarten, it would not be adverse. The state pays us about $3,700 per student, although only half that for a kindergarten student. However, we spend twice that amount to educate a student. Thus, although we would lose the state funding, we would also, in theory, save twice that amount in reduced expenses.

There is only one issue here: would going to all day, every other day kindergarten have a seriously adverse effect on the quality of our program. If the balance of the evidence is that it would, then I believe we must stay with the half-day format. But I need to look at the evidence.

Decision not mine to make

As a member of the school board, I have only one vote. The vote for all-day, every other day kindergarten was 4-1, and was based on the recommendation of our administration. I am willing to reconsider my vote and, if the evidence shows that this format would have a seriously adverse effect on our program, I am willing to ask the board to reconsider its decision. However, it would take 2 votes just to reconsider, and 3 votes to reverse the decision. So the matter is not in my hands.