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For the past 15 years, Wisconsin has encouraged adopting four-year-old kindergarten by allowing school districts as much revenue authority for a four-year-old as they have for their more costly to educate high school students. Last year four-year-old kindergarten programs cost this state $140 million in state tax collections and cost local property taxpayers another $82 million.

It is important for Governor Walker to make it clear that the days of encouraging four-year-old kindergarten are at an end so local districts can plan accordingly.

Dear Senator Grothman:
As a member of the Brown County Taxpayers Association, and during these past 4 years, as chairman of the Education Subcommittee for our group, I have become quite familiar with school funding and issues pertinent to their operation. As such, I have been in the forefront in Green Bay in addressing the misuse of Taxpayer funds and State Budgets by our school districts.

I applaud your letter to Scott Walker and I do hope he takes your request seriously and would like to point out helpful 4K facts that may assist your efforts to remove this gross miscarriage of funding.

First, the Federal Government funds a program for youngsters that need help. It is called Headstart. The cry for help for such an age group should be addressed by this program, however the schools have found a cash cow in Wisconsin’s 4 K Budget and can make extra funds this way.

Second, rather than looking to Arkansas, (or Georgia, who admit that the 4K program is a failure), we can look right here in Wisconsin. Three years ago I challenged Dan Nerad, the Green Bay Superintendent at that time, when he said, “early education promotes advancement of learning .“

“We do not need to look at studies from other communities, when we have the information right here in Green Bay! 8 years ago, we went from ½ day kindergarten to full day, and yet subsequent grade test scores failed to reflect the additional education time… in fact, scores are decreasing which is proof that extending hours does nothing.”

The charge went unanswered.

Third, I have to say that you left a very large arrow out of your quiver, as your financial equation is not correct for 4 K.

While I feel that $9,900 is closer, let’s use your $9,000 number, it is fine for expressing costs. To get funding for a student, he is counted as one FTE ( full time education) to get the 9K. 4K students however get a kicker. For 13 ¼ hours per week they are counted as .6 FTE ( .5 if less than 13 ¼). So 4 year olds are given a morning class, followed in the PM with another 4 year old. Those two half day students count as (2 x.6) 1.2 FTE or in cash terms, they bring in $10,800 to the district.

But wait, it gets better……they only need to be in school for 4 days (!) So you have a 20 % bonus in funds, followed by a 20 % reduction in class room utilization and teacher time. Sweet deal!

Never forget, that unlike upper grades, there is no homework or tests to score during free time. The schools will say that they use the teachers to communicate with parents on the fifth day. We have no proof this occurs, and let me remind you that school districts like Green Bay have a very large number of case workers and social workers for such activities.

What I find incredible is that Tony Evers, the WDPI Superintendent, in his recent “budget recommendations” wanted to increase the use of extra credit like this in the FTE category for other students. This weighting is nothing more than cash give-away in a system already weakened by cash drain.

Lastly, for lots of information on 4K studies, the Reason Foundation is a great resource.

Thank you for listening and I do hope , for the benefit of Wisconsin, that the sham of 4K is disposed of. The least that should happen, is that the taxpayers of the school district, be allowed to vote on whether they wish to have such a program, and that it be funded 100 % by local taxes. Only then would the purveyors of 4K be held accountable for results, which I doubt even exist.

Rich Carlstedt
Green Bay

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