NEW LONDON -- Parents will be surveyed about their interest in all-day, everyday kindergarten in the New London-Spicer School District.
The NLS School Board agreed Monday on a survey and approved a mission statement for a task force that will be appointed to discuss the issue.
The survey will be sent to parents of children who are in kindergarten this year, will be kindergarteners next school year and those who would be entering kindergarten in the 2007-08 school year.
A group of parents is requesting all-day, everyday kindergarten next school year. The school district would need $172,514 to fund the additional classroom time. But it is already making $145,000 in cuts next school year to offset declining enrollment.
The survey also will ask parents if they're interested in being on the task force. The district wants parents who are for and against all-day everyday kindergarten to be on the task force.
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The mission statement the board approved directs the task force to analyze and present the survey results to the School Board and make recommendations about how to proceed.
NLS kindergarten students attend kindergarten all-day, every other day. The district offers an enrichment program called Kinder Pals through Community Education that compliments the kindergarten classes, but the students don't cover new material during that time. The program costs parents $1,300 a year.
Superintendent Paul Carlson expects the surveys to be sent out by the end of this week or early next week. They are due back to the school district by May 11.
Also at the meeting, two school board candidates from the 2004 election were appointed to fill two vacant seats on the board.
The board voted 4-1 to appoint Helena Lungstrom to Wayne Friedrich's former seat and Jeff Roguske to Greg Hedman's position.
Friedrich resigned from the board earlier this year. Hedman asked for a leave of absence and the board then declared a vacancy for his position.
Hedman can request to come back his position, wh-ich would require board approval.
More than two years are left on their terms.
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Lungstrom and Roguske had written letters of interest for the vacant positions as did Bonnie Kleman and David Kilpatrick.
Board member Mike O'Brien suggested the board appoint Lungstrom and Roguske because they were the two top voter getters who didn't win in the 2004 election.
Lungstrom, Roguske, Hedman, Friedrich and board chairwoman Karen Nelson competed in 2004 for three four-year terms on the board.
O'Brien said it's in the board's best interest to fill the vacancies as soon as possible and said an interview process would take too long.
Board member Robert Moller pointed out that Kleman also ran for School Board, but in 2002. He said both she and Kilpatrick have shown great interest in being appointed to the board.
"I would prefer interviewing," he said.
Nelson said they would all be good candidates.
"Unfortunately we only have the opportunity to select two people," she said.
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The board voted to appoint Lungstrom and Roguske immediately. Moller was the dissenting vote.
The position Lungstrom was appointed to will be up for election this fall.
In other business, the board:
n Called for bids for the construction house students built this school year. The minimum bid is $55,000 with $1,000 down required for bid approval. The house is a three-bedroom rambler.
n Accepted the retirement of Tom Scearcy, Community Education director with "thanks and appreciation." He has been director for 18 years and will retire June 30.
