Two items at kitsapsun.com illustrate two local districts at least considering following models laid out by the Bremerton School District. In one case it demonstrates that such efforts don’t come without some cost.
In South Kitsap the district has a $1.7 million shortfall, but the district plans to add an early childhood education program called “Ready! For Kindergarten,” using $60,000 from I-728 funding. The district is also partnering with a new Boys & Girls Club.
In North Mason the board of commissioners weighed adding all-day kindergarten, but the price was increasing class sizes in grades 4, 5, and 6. Too much, it seems. There wasn’t a formal vote, but the board appears unlikely to pass the idea at that cost.
While the Bremerton School District still deals with a stigma of having lower WASL test scores than neighboring districts, the district’s move to give students a better start are getting little but praise, so far.
