Lt. Governor visits Moorhead preschool class and talks about early learning with administrators
April 14, 2015
At Probstfield Center for Education on April 14, Lt. Governor Tina Smith visited a Jump Start Preschool classroom and talked with principals and district administrators about the impact that high-quality early learning programs have in preparing young learners for success in school.
Lt. Governor Smith’s visit to Moorhead highlights Governor Mark Dayton’s education proposal that provides funding for free, full-day preschool for four-year-olds statewide.
Smith listened to comments from Moorhead school and district leaders on the implementation of all-day kindergarten and the growth students are making, collaboration with Head Start and child care providers, maintaining School Readiness funds, Minnesota Reading Corps, and the achievement gap — which Smith prefers to call an opportunity gap.
Moorhead Area Public Schools currently serves students in 12 sections of Jump Start in six classrooms. Moving from half-day to full-day programming would reduce the number of students served because space is not available in the district to add more preschool classrooms, said Jill Skarvold, executive director of learner support services.
The addition of all-day kindergarten and growing district enrollment means space in district facilities is tight and would restrict expansion of the preschool program, Superintendent Lynne Kovash said.
Additionally, Kovash stressed the importance of adding money to the per-pupil funding formula to continue appropriate funding for K-12 education. A proposed 1 percent increase on the formula allowance will not keep up with inflation, she said.
Smith agreed that adding money on the funding formula would be good, but said funds would need to be approved in the budget negotiations.
Categorized under: School