As more Minnesota schools prepare to roll out free all-day kindergarten in 2014-15, they're facing a daunting practical concern — more kids in school will create a space crunch.
Most state educators applauded legislators' decision last spring to appropriate $134 million for all-day kindergarten, currently available in about two-thirds of Minnesota school districts for no charge. Now schools that have been charging parents for full-day programming are preparing for an influx of kindergartners.
"The question is now where are we going to put them," said Greg Abbott, spokesman for the Minnesota School Boards Association.
In addition to planning staffing, transportation and curriculum, school leaders are now making logistical decisions that will shape kindergartners' experience next fall.
For some schools, adding sections of all-day kindergarten will mean minor modifications to existing classrooms — adding a wall here, or perhaps moving a community education class or after-school program to another building.
But for others — namely, those with growing enrollment and subsequent space crunches — it might ultimately mean going to voters to ask for financial help to build new schools or additions.
In Wayzata, a district where each school building is either at or over capacity, school leaders estimate they will need an additional 14 to 16 classrooms to accommodate all-day kindergarten. That's about half of a typical elementary building.
Consequently, the district will go to voters Feb. 25 to ask for $109.6 million in bond funding, which, among other things, would help build a new elementary school, estimated to cost about $26 million.