Practically Speaking

And you haven't even figured in the inevitable hour a day addition to the program to accommodate the 4K H&HD class! Zounds this could cost!!

Kyle, You are so right on the money with this one. Here in Menomonee Falls.  We were told in January that 4K would cost $376,000 and be paid for with reserves.  By August, that cost had grown to $904,000!! That's almost $1 million dollars. The latest numbers show that we will use $400,000 from reserves and guess who will pay the remaining $504,000?

That's right, the taxpayers.  Watch out Brookfield, I see a trend.

Kyle said:

"Ask yourself if you think half day 4-K will remain at half day. Then ask why Elmbrook would stop at 4-K when private programs and other school districts are talking 3-K."

I say:

I think you have pointed out a big reason why school districts are moving to earlier and earlier kindergarten. Non-public school's are doing it so they can draw in students before they can go to public school. Once a student starts at a school they tend to stay there. Day care does it because they want to make money. What better way to sell your business than by making a parent feel guilty that if they don't send their child to daycare they will actually have a child who will fall behind those smarter day care children ? I think public schools are just trying to keep up with what the market wants. It costs money to run a school system and if you don't provide what the market wants you lose market share, and in this case students, which equals money. That isn't good for a private enterprise or a public school system either.

If you believe in  public school systems and want them to be of the highest quality you will want to see them remain competitive. Thus the pressure to keep offering what everyone else is offering or even out perform the competition is strong.

I personally enjoyed having my kids home as long as I could. Eventually moms will be pressured to attend kindergarten while the baby is still in the womb to get that edge over Johnny next door.

Often times competition pressures us to do things we don't like. If you think competition is the be all, end all, you must accept the other edge of that sword or make laws that limit competition. We all know that those kind of laws would be called "big government getting in the way of free enterprise".