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Camas abandons tuition-based kindergarten plan

District receives insufficient interest likely due to cost

By Marissa Harshman, Columbian Health Reporter
Published: August 12, 2010, 12:00am

The Camas School District will not offer tuition-based full-day kindergarten this fall due to a lack of interest in the program.

The district needed about 50 students to enroll in the program in order to make it feasible. Less than half that many families expressed interest, district spokeswoman Doreen McKercher said.

“I would guess, from some of the questions we received, cost was the primary factor,” she said.

The proposed program would have offered two full-day kindergarten classes for 50 students. The program had a $5,000 price tag per student. The tuition would have paid for the program and put money aside for the district to resurrect another program for kindergartners who need extra assistance in math, reading and other subjects.

District staff asked parents who were interested in the program to fill out forms at kindergarten registration in May. By the end of June, it became apparent the district would not have enough students to launch the program, McKercher said.

Parents who expressed interest in the program received a letter notifying them of the news.

All incoming kindergartners will attend school for a half a day every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. They will also attend for half a day every other Wednesday — a slight change from the 2009-10 kindergarten schedule. The school board approved the change in April.

McKercher said she was unsure if the district would gauge interest in the tuition-based program next school year. She anticipates the school board and district staff will be busy trying to grapple with the grim economic outlook for education. Districts across the state are anticipating steep cutbacks in state funding, she said.

Marissa Harshman: 360-735-4546 or marissa.harshman@columbian.com.

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Columbian Health Reporter