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Budget Woes: New York School District Considers Eliminating Kindergarten

New York’s “cash-strapped” East Ramapo School District is considering dropping kindergarten as a means of addressing its budget problems, CBS New York reports.

“[T]he Rockland County district has kindergarten on the chopping block because its budget was rejected by voters, an apparent push-back from a large population of ultra-Orthodox Jewish residents who school their children elsewhere and feel overtaxed,” according to the report.

“People have had enough. The taxes in East Ramapo and Rockland in general are some of the highest in the United States. People have their children in private schools. They’re willing to support the public schools within reason if everybody carries their burden,” anti-tax activist Kalman Weber said.

Watch the CBS News update:

There are currently about 350 students attending kindergarten in East Ramapo.

“This is essential and if they have to cut it there’s going to be negative consequences,” one teacher, Patricia Ranney, said.

Whenever budget problems reach crisis levels (as they have in East Ramapo) the programs not required by the state are usually the first to go. Oh, and just in case you didn’t know, kindergarten isn’t required by the state.

“I’m scared for the future of our children,” kindergarten director Jacqueline Polanco said. When asked what would happen to the “fiber of education” if the county resorted to cutting kindergarten, Polanco said “all this is gone. All this is gone.”

The report notes that a revised budget could be ready for another vote by June 19.

“It’s estimated that in the East Ramapo district two-thirds of all students attend private schools,” CBS reports. “Critics suggest the state needs to re-work the funding formula to make it less dependent on property taxes.”

Front page photo source: CBS New York.

Comments (53)

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  • frogg
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 8:18am

    has any one ever asked about how much it costs to have a 5 year old sit in a class room for a year? That’s all they learn is how to sit in a class room. Most babby boomers never had kindergarden and out educations turned out just fine starting with only the first grade.

    Report Post » frogg  
    • turkey13
      Posted on May 23, 2012 at 9:09am

      Here in Oklahoma we have Pre-Kindergarten for 4 year olds. Me -I started school at age 7. I don’t feel sorry for NY, they are on my no fly list because they won’t recognize my carry permit. Myself & wife would be there spending money with my 3 older grandsons if I didn’t have to worry about our safety. I would like to spend more money in Washington DC but same deal. We are having good time in New Mexico and after a week at home are off to Florida for 3 weeks. These states are carry friendly and love our money! In November here in Oklahoma we will be able to carry our guns out in the open. I think our crime rate will drop by 50%. I mean a robber would be an idiot to rob 7-11 with people walking in and out with a gun on.

      Report Post »  
  • soybomb315
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 7:36am

    The first response to budget cuts by democrats is always to hold the kids hostage. Republicans should call their bluff or respond with a school voucher program to replace it

    Report Post » soybomb315  
  • lgccac
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 7:28am

    “… considering dropping kindergarten as a means of addressing its budget problems …”

    But the teachers’ union pensions are still being funded, aren’t they? To hell with the kids!

    Report Post »  
  • Mandors
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 7:25am

    They have some of the highest taxes in the area. The public schools are NOT 100% attended. Where is the money going?!

    Report Post » Mandors  
  • shekinah11
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 5:35am

    Since it is the government schools responsibility to teach children to be atheist/socialist makes them a major barrier between the separation of church and state therefore unconstitutional… The government should get out of the school business altogether..

    Report Post »  
  • lassiegirldawn
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 3:15am

    This is great, now mothers can get together and teach what the kids really need.

    Report Post »  
    • mauijonny
      Posted on May 23, 2012 at 5:32am

      Exactly what I thought…good bye & good riddance. See, “the worst economy since the Great Depression” has it’s upsides…

      Report Post » mauijonny  
    • thekuligs
      Posted on May 23, 2012 at 10:21am

      I put my oldest child (who is now 6) in K because I had young twins at home, and let me tell you I vowed after that to homeschool. First of all, it was actually MORE work for the parent. All busy work. Hours of homework a week. 1/2 K at our school in NV was a joke. It started 25 min after regular school started if you had it in the morning, or ended 25 min early if you have afternoon K. All they do is worksheets, and they still have recess. With all the getting up and getting kids seated again I can’t even fathom how they expect to get anything done.

      My next child starts K next year. Instead of homeschooling her formally in that we began working on the same principles last year. Since she has those down we are skipping K and starting with the first grade.

      Report Post » thekuligs  
  • babylonvi
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 3:14am

    If you want to know “what would happen to the “fiber of education”, look and see what has happened since you destroyed teaching of American culture ans the constitution.

    Report Post » babylonvi  
  • cassandra
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 3:00am

    lets see if they keep the head start program for all the wellare kids though ???

    Report Post »  
  • Diane TX
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 1:41am

    The Public Schools are nothing but indoctrination centers. If you want your child to have an actual education, send them to private schools. Many religion based schools help out families that are on the low end of the income scale, AND accept students that are not members of their religion.

    This will be a problem for parents who use kindergarten for the free babysitting service.

    Report Post »  
  • Jim44
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 1:20am

    Lets see 2/3 of the district kids don’t even use the schools …Correct? So they need how much again to actually provide some kind of education to only 1/3 of the kids anyway ? I went and looked into the budget and stopped reading after reading this .
    .”.Almost 70% of the budget is composed of salaries and benefits for staff ” And this budget is a 2.31% raise on a $200K budget ….
    http://eram.k12.ny.us/education/page/download.php?fileinfo=YnVkZ2V0LWZhY3Qtc2hlZXQtMjAxMS1maW5hbC5wZGY6Ojovd3d3L3NjaG9vbHMvc2MvcmVtb3RlL2ltYWdlcy9kb2NtZ3IvMjA3MWZpbGUxMDQ5OC5wZGY=

    Report Post »  
  • Conservative_T-Rex
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 1:16am

    If this isn’t just another sign of bad time ahead, I don’t know what is. How on earth can that much tax money be frittered away with nothing to show for it?

    game/quiz for you avid fox news watchers: http://www.sporcle.com/games/Bohnfather/fox-news-personalities

    Report Post »  
  • Fuddy-duddy
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 12:59am

    The first free school opened in Virginia in 1635. By 1848 we had schools for the blind, deaf, “mentally retarded”, and even a school for blacks (Cheyney University). The system seemed to be on a good path, but by 1856 Wisconsin was home to the first kindergarten, then Boston had one. By 1869 we had both the NEA and the Dept of Ed…and what do we have 143 years later?

    Report Post »  
    • Bryan B
      Posted on May 23, 2012 at 1:16am

      @Fuddy-duddy

      What I was always impressed with, is my great grand father only had a sixth grade education. But he could read, write and speak Latin…..So what did the education system do 100 years ago, that they are not doing today ????

      Report Post » Bryan B  
    • Alessandre
      Posted on May 23, 2012 at 10:42am

      teach.

      Report Post »  
  • FromSeaToSea
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 12:31am

    wheres the matching tax reduction?

    Report Post »  
  • cyberclown7
    Posted on May 23, 2012 at 12:09am

    Public education is a biased liberal stronghold that teaches most children nothing. Here in California it is filled with illegals which we pay for with all kinds of taxes. Moonbeam Brown wants even more to make the Teachers Unions Happy. Our system in California is broken as well as in other States I’m sure. Teachers make over $60,000 and most kids can’t even balance a check book by the time they graduate. Parents are Home Schooling using Charter Schools and preparing their children for the future themselves…

    Report Post »  
  • inblack
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:47pm

    They should cut high school.
    Half the kids have dropped out by then anyway and any 6th grader can pass the GED and get their HS diploma.

    Then you can put them to work and get on with life instead of dragging out their torture and making them full time burdens.

    Report Post »  
    • CatB
      Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:58pm

      But the indoctrination might not be complete .. they would go to work and become CONSERVATIVES!

      Report Post »  
  • freemama
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:42pm

    There is going to be a lot of noise from parents because the free daycare provided by the school (aka kindergarten) will be gone.

    Report Post »  
    • timbepat
      Posted on May 23, 2012 at 12:22am

      Freemama … was thinking the same thing! The government sponsored daycare/indoctrination will have to start a year later than normal. So glad we have homeschooled our kids!

      Report Post »  
  • nobull14
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:35pm

    The new all children left behind ?

    Report Post »  
  • AnnM.#1
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:33pm

    I live in the next school district over from this area and there is so much corruption in that school district. There is an employee from the East Ramapo School District that lives in my neighborhood, he is home more than he’s at work. He comes home from work(only an hour or so into his work day) in the school district vehicle and brings his kid to school in our district. His wife is a stay at home mom and drives. The School bus stops right on the corner of the block they live on.There is no reason for him to come home. He brings the school trucks home to plow his driveway in the winter and brings home lawnmowers (he works for the maintenance dept) and mows his lawn when he is supposed to be at work. The district was notified and they could care less. He makes about $90,000-$95,000/year at least. It makes me crazy. My school taxes just keep rising and this crook is milking the system.

    Report Post »  
  • CloudNine
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:26pm

    Holy S@#T! Batman, maybe are test scores will increase now that we are home schooling more!

    Report Post » CloudNine  
    • CatB
      Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:59pm

      Amen .. I would love to put all these union hack teachers out of a job!

      Report Post »  
  • wakeamericaupnow
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:16pm

    They have already allowed gay marriage, and lowered the educational standards. I really did not think until now that it could get any worse.

    Report Post »  
  • copatriots
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:07pm

    WHAT??? But where will the kids get their pink slime infused with their indoctrination?

    Report Post »  
    • marhee9
      Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:20pm

      Lol, it would be a shame for them not to get their condoms as well. After all, it’s a basic right. The educational system is so messed up in this great country. Thanks liberals! That whole “fairness” thing and all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwGq8e23LOc

      Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:00pm

    HeadStart replaced by SlowStart!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 10:52pm

    So, we eliminate teaching our kids how to eat paste, introduction to cooties, nap time, the finer points of trading lunches, how to share, and of course learning numbers and the alphabet. But this will be the generation that will be living at home until they are 40, won’t be responsible for anything and will learn to blame EVERYTHING wrong in their lives on George W Bush. I wonder if Obama thinks it’s too late to conduct abortions, but only if they grow up voting for conservatives. Things that make you go Hmmmmm.

    Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
  • TXPilot
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 10:50pm

    So, the government will get one less year to contaminate and indoctrinate the kiddos???…sounds like a great idea to me.

    Report Post » TXPilot  
    • whatthecrazy
      Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:05pm

      You took the key board right outta my hand.One less year they have to screw up thier little minds.Finally some good news.

      Report Post »  
    • RJJinGadsden
      Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:07pm

      You’ve got that right!

      Report Post » RJJinGadsden  
    • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
      Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:08pm

      TXPilot, How are things down there, is it getting hot enough for you. My buddy just came back from San Antonio, he said it was soo hot, the cactus are complaining.

      Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
    • Therightsofbilly
      Posted on May 23, 2012 at 12:00am

      You are right, it is a great idea.

      And that is why they will never actually let it happen.

      Report Post » Therightsofbilly  
    • TXPilot
      Posted on May 23, 2012 at 8:04am

      @DARMOK…….Yes, it is starting to heat up for the Summer here, but I will be happy if we don’t have another drought. Living in an area where everything is dry and on fire during the Summer months, isn’t much fun.

      Report Post » TXPilot  
  • Bryan B
    Posted on May 22, 2012 at 10:49pm

    They don’t need Kindergarten.

    Kindergarten is really one of those experiments that have failed, just like the 10th 11th and 12th grades have failed….do away with them all….

    Report Post » Bryan B  
    • lukerw
      Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:04pm

      The Baby Sitting System allows Mothers to Work… keeps Gangsters off the Streets… and, without Employment, reduces competition for NonExistent Jobs!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • Bryan B
      Posted on May 22, 2012 at 11:18pm

      @lukerw

      No it doesn’t…..

      Report Post » Bryan B  
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