SRVUSD Will Continue Transitional Kindergarten for 2012-13

From the San Ramon Valley Unified School District

The San Ramon Valley Unified School District is moving ahead with plans to continue the Transitional Kindergarten Program in the Fall (after a pilot year in 2011-12), despite the Governor’s proposed 2012-13 budget, which would eliminate the requirement of districts offering Transitional Kindergarten (TK).

Based on current California Law SB 1381 (Readiness Act of 2010), students who turn five years old between September 2 and December 2, 2012 are eligible to participate in the program.

“We continue to have tremendous interest in the TK program for next year, and we believe that, despite the confusion that exists around the program in the Legislature, it is in the best interest of our students and our district to continue to offer the program next year,” said Christine Williams, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. “The current law is still in place and mandates this program, and we don’t feel it is fair to our students or parents to wait to make a decision.”

Transitional kindergarten (TK) is the first year of a two-year kindergarten program for eligible students that uses a developmentally and age appropriate modified kindergarten curriculum.  TK does not replicate pre-school or kindergarten. It is a program blending preschool and readiness standards for kindergarten with a focus on hands-on, experiential learning and social skills. 

Districts are being advised at this time that since both the State Assembly and Senate budget committees have rejected the Governor's proposal for eliminating TK, and since the proposal is strongly opposed in both houses, the current TK law will most likely remain in place in 2012-13. The Governor could bring a revised proposal to the table in his May budget revision. At this time, however, it would appear that districts should continue to think about how to implement current law in 2012-13 school year. The SRVUSD Board of Education believes that the benefits of this program outweigh the small potential cost impact.

Currently 222 eligible students have registered for the 2012-13 program. The program is scheduled to be offered at four elementary schools in the 2012-13 school year: John Baldwin, Neil Armstrong, Golden View and Coyote Creek. The school day is the same as traditional kindergarten with AM and PM classes taught by credentialed teachers in the district.

Families whose children will turn 5 on or between September 2 and December 2, 2012 and have not yet enrolled in the school district may enroll in the TK program by contacting SRVUSD Educational Services Department.