House Bill (HB) 1 requires all Ohio school districts to offer all-day kindergarten beginning with the 2010-11 school year. Many parents and residents have questions related to this issue. Included below are a few frequently asked questions and answers specific to all-day kindergarten. Please note that this situation is still unfolding. Olentangy Local Schools will update this site as we receive more information.
What is the situation?
House Bill (HB) 1 requires all Ohio school districts to offer all-day kindergarten beginning with the 2010-11 school year. The bill also prohibits schools from charging tuition for all-day kindergarten past Fiscal Year 2011 (2010-11 school year).
What about a waiver?
HB 1 does provide a waiver option. However the details of this waiver are not clear. Olentangy believes the waiver will, at a minimum, be available for districts that do not have available space to house all students. Other considerations may include already high performing school districts such as Olentangy Local Schools.
Olentangy administrators are currently reviewing this information and engaging in conversation with members of the Ohio Department of Education in case a waiver is needed. We are anticipating that if Olentangy applies for this waiver and it is approved, then the waiver will only be available for the 2010-11 school year.
Will Olentangy be offering all-day kindergarten for the 2010-11 school year?
The district does not have enough information to answer this question at this time. Currently, administrators are reviewing facility needs and budget requirements to offer all-day kindergarten. In October and November, the Development Committee will report to the Board of Education regarding updated enrollment projections, the 10-year master building plan and the facilities impact of all-day kindergarten.
Once these reports are completed, the district will also adjust the Five-Year Financial Forecast to reflect any changes and provide a better picture of both the operational and facility costs associated with this program. Once the district knows the space requirements necessary to operate this service, then administrators can decide if a waiver is needed. When a decision is made regarding all-day kindergarten, the appropriate information will be communicated to parents and the community.
What about attendance zones?
If all-day kindergarten is implemented, it may necessitate the district to adjust existing attendance boundaries for some or all elementary schools. A timetable and process associated with this project will not begin until a decision is made related to if and when all-day kindergarten is offered at Olentangy Local Schools.