Senate Bill 89: Mandatory Kindergarten

Author:
Senators Coggs, Lehman, Carpenter, Vinehout, Plale and Robson, cosponsored by Representatives Smith, Pope?Roberts, Berceau, Richards, Soletski, Colon, Sinicki, Mason, Pasch, Fields, Hebl, Benedict, Hixson, Milroy, Clark, Zigmunt, Bernard Schaber and A. Ott. Referred to Committee on Education.

Summary:
Under current law, attendance in school is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 18. A child who has reached the age of 4 years may enroll in 4-year-old kindergarten if the school district in which the child resides operates a 4-year-old kindergarten program, and a child who has reached the age of 5 years may enroll in 5-year-old kindergarten. However, enrollment in and the completion of kindergarten is not required.

Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, this bill requires a child to complete 5-year-old kindergarten as a prerequisite to being admitted to first grade in a public school, including a charter school. The bill permits a school board and the operator of an independent charter school to establish policies, standards, conditions, and procedures for the parent or guardian of a child to seek an exemption from the requirement that the child complete kindergarten. The bill also requires a child who is enrolled in 5-year-old kindergarten in a public or private school to regularly attend kindergarten during the school year.

Status:

2/25/2009		(Senate) Introduced by Senators Coggs, Lehman, Carpenter, Vinehout, Plale and Robson; cosponsored by Representatives Smith, Pope-Roberts, Berceau, Richards, Soletski, Colon, Sinicki, Mason, Pasch, Fields, Hebl, Benedict, Hixson, Milroy, Clark, Zigmunt, Bernard Schaber and A. Ott.
2/25/2009		(Senate) Read first time and referred to committee on Education
3/17/2009		(Senate) Fiscal estimate received
3/31/2009		(Senate) Senate substitute amendment 1 offered by Senator Coggs
4/2/2009		(Senate) Public hearing held.
7/9/2009		(Senate) Executive action taken
7/10/2009		(Senate) Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Education, Yes 4, No 3
7/10/2009		(Senate) Report adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Education, Yes 7, No 0
7/10/2009		(Senate) Available for scheduling

Hearings:
Public hearing scheduled for April 2, 2009, at 1:30 p.m—201 Southeast.

HSLDA's Position:
HSLDA opposes this bill.

Action Requested:
Action Requested: 1. Please call your assembly member and senator and give them this message:

“Please vote against Senate Bill 89, which will mandate in our schools early education programs that have not been proven to be effective. This is a waste of taxpayers’ dollars. It will also increase the pressure to expand compulsory attendance, which will restrict parents’ choice in the education of their children.”

Do not identify yourself as a homeschooler.

The legislative hotline toll-free is (800) 362-9472. Ask to speak with your state representative.

Leave the above message with as many Senate Education Committee members as you can.

Senate Education Committee Members:

Senator John Lehman (Chair) - (608) 266-1832
Senator Robert Jauch (Vice-Chair) - (608) 266-3510
Senator Jon Erpenbach - (608) 266-6670
Senator David Hansen - (608) 266-5670
Senator Luther Olsen - (608) 266-0751
Senator Glenn Grothman - (608) 266-7513
Senator Randy Hopper - (608) 266-5300

Background:
While the bill purports to make these programs optional, history shows us that there will be subsequent pressure to make them mandatory, universal, and funded with taxpayer dollars.

Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child’s formal education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic performance later.

Lowering the compulsory attendance age erodes the authority of parents who are in the best position to determine when their child’s formal education should begin.

A report published February 6, 2007 by the Goldwater Institute examines Stanford 9 test scores and finds Arizona kindergarten programs initially improve learning but have no measurable impact on reading, math, or language arts test scores by fifth grade.

The data show that students in schools with all-day kindergarten programs have statistically significant higher 3rd-grade test scores, but there is no impact on 5th-grade scores. This finding is consistent with previous research. Forcing children into school early delivers short-term benefits at best.

Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age would be an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public schools./p>

For more information on compulsory attendance, please see our memorandum, “Compulsory Attendance Age Legislation.”

Other Resources

E-lert—March 26, 2009: Calls Needed to Oppose Early Education Bill

Bill Text (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)