California lawmakers vote to raise kindergarten age to save $$$

[Liberal_in_LA]

Lawmakers vote to raise kindergarten age
June 2, 2010 | 12:33 pm
The earliest age at which California children could start kindergarten would go up three months under a measure passed by the state Senate on Wednesday. Youngsters would have to turn 5 by Sept. 1 under the proposal, which would reduce the state’s kindergarten population by 100,000.

The state would save big money by booting all those kids out of kindergarten. But proponents of the legislation say half of the $700 million to be saved would go to helping those same children through expanded public preschool programs. The rest would go toward closing the state deficit.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/lawmakers-vote-to-raise-kindergarten-age.html

[SoCalDem]

1. Except for the following and subsequent years when the "held-backs" flood in

What it does do, longterm, is to guarantee that all (most?) seniors will be at least 18 when they graduate.

Truthfully, it's not really a bad thing for kids to be "older" when they enter school, but with so many little ones being in "school" now from the first day they successfully "hit the potty", for many of today's little ones, real school is old hat..

My boys did not go to "pre-school", so they were very excited when they got to start kindergarten.

One teacher said she preferred to teach the ones who had not gone to p[re-school. she said they seemed more engaged and eager..

[msongs]

2. in CA, kindergarten is now the same curriculum that used to be 1st grade..the days of kinder

as socialization, arts n crafts, and play are long gone. It is just as scripted as any other grade sorry to say. And first grade is now what used to be 2nd grade level

Msongs

[Liberal_in_LA]

3. I've heard that K is no longer just fingerpainting and napping, real academics now

[Kievan Rus]

4. God forbid they TAX THE RICH to close the budget gap