Petitioner’s Budget #2 strips the funding we need to institute all-day K. Unfortunately, the petitioner did not attend any school committee meetings, including those
during which we discussed our budget.
Thirty of the 36 public school districts in Rhode Island have all-day kindergarten. Tiverton is one of only six that do not. As neighboring Massachusetts is focusing on providing universal pre-K, here in Tiverton we are still playing catchup with kindergarten. This puts our youngest kids at a disadvantage from day one. This important step will significantly improve our children’s academic achievement and lower the costs of helping struggling students who need extra support in grades 1-4.
Tiverton schools also won a $40,000 grant from the state to provide all-day K training and to purchase additional furniture, smart boards, and software at no cost to taxpayers. These grant funds are contingent upon the town funding all-day K.
Careful use of our reserves to cover budget overruns and capital purchases and partnering to purchase shared services (such as transportation, food service, utilities and special education) have allowed us to provide strong schools at a reasonable cost. Our schools have been recognized with Leading, Commended, and even Blue Ribbon status by RIDE and the U.S. Department of Education. We have had teachers recognized by RIDE and by the General Assembly.
We should all be proud of our schools for the tremendous asset it is to our community. Good schools also contribute to higher property values and they are often one of the reasons families and businesses want to move to Tiverton. If the current budget debate were only about what is good for our kids and for our community, this minimal funding increase wouldn’t even be in question.
Vote yes on Budget #1 on May 14 and May 15 at Town Hall or on May 16 at Tiverton High School. Vote from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. It only takes 5 minutes to stand up for all-day K.
Thirty of the 36 public school districts in Rhode Island have all-day kindergarten. Tiverton is one of only six that do not. As neighboring Massachusetts is focusing on providing universal pre-K, here in Tiverton we are still playing catchup with kindergarten. This puts our youngest kids at a disadvantage from day one. This important step will significantly improve our children’s academic achievement and lower the costs of helping struggling students who need extra support in grades 1-4.
Tiverton schools also won a $40,000 grant from the state to provide all-day K training and to purchase additional furniture, smart boards, and software at no cost to taxpayers. These grant funds are contingent upon the town funding all-day K.
Careful use of our reserves to cover budget overruns and capital purchases and partnering to purchase shared services (such as transportation, food service, utilities and special education) have allowed us to provide strong schools at a reasonable cost. Our schools have been recognized with Leading, Commended, and even Blue Ribbon status by RIDE and the U.S. Department of Education. We have had teachers recognized by RIDE and by the General Assembly.
We should all be proud of our schools for the tremendous asset it is to our community. Good schools also contribute to higher property values and they are often one of the reasons families and businesses want to move to Tiverton. If the current budget debate were only about what is good for our kids and for our community, this minimal funding increase wouldn’t even be in question.
Vote yes on Budget #1 on May 14 and May 15 at Town Hall or on May 16 at Tiverton High School. Vote from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. It only takes 5 minutes to stand up for all-day K.
Deb Pallasch
Carol Herrmann
Members, Tiverton School Committee
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