The Noblesville School Board unanimously voted to discontinue the district’s offering of half-day kindergarten at its monthly meeting on June 18. Supt. Libbie Conner said the decision was based on enrollment and finances.
Conner said 700 students are enrolled for kindergarten for the 2013-14 school year and only 10 elected for half-day instead of full day.
“Paying a teacher to teach 10 children is not an effective and efficient use of our funding,” she said.
If the board had not voted to discontinue half-day kindergarten, Conner said students enrolled for that program would have possibly had to be bused to another school to create enough students for a full class.
“Now, students can stay at their own school,” she said, adding those children that were enrolled for half-day kindergarten will be given the option to move to full-day.
Noblesville Schools began offering full-day kindergarten in the 2011-12 school year. During the 2012-13 school year, Conner said the district had approximately 800 students with all but three small sections staying all day. Last year, Conner said the program expanded in enrollment and several schools like Hinkle Creek and Promise Road elementary had six full-day kindergarten classrooms.
“The half-day numbers went way, way down,” she said.
What else happened?
• Textbook rental fees were released. The 2013-14 costs are $46, early childhood; $90, full-day kindergarten; $121.09, first-grade; $111.42, second-grade; $118.94, third-grade; $128.94, third-grade Focus; $102.59, fourth-grade; $112.59, fourth-grade Focus; $125.66, fifth-grade; $144.14 fifth-grade Focus; $76.50 kindergarten through fifth-grade MOMD; and $94.12 sixth- through eighth-grade MOMD. Costs for sixth- through 12th-grade are dependent on the student’s schedule and courses.
• Meal prices will remain the same for the 2013-14 school year as they were last year. Costs include breakfast (all grades), $1.25; elementary lunch, $1.85; middle and high school lunch, $2; adult breakfast, $1.80; adult lunch, $2.90; and additional milk, $0.45.
• Klosterman Baking Co., Inc. will supply the bread and buns for the district. Their bid of $36,308 was the lowest of the companies vying for the position.
• Randy Ruhl of City Securities has been given power to prepare the refunding of Noblesville West Middle School bonds. Ruhl said interests rates are not as low as expected, and he will monitor rates as bonds are prepared in the next 30 to 45 days.