After heavily weighing parents' concerns regarding proposed changes to the district's kindergarten program, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stephen Leitman announced April 20 that he has opted to implement a program in which all kindergarten students will attend school for five days a week, between 8:30 a.m. and 2:20 p.m. In the program's current format, students attend for three full days and two half days.

"Everybody in this room is on the same side ... All we're trying to do is look at ways of improving the school system and [its] programs," Dr. Leitman prefaced before a public meeting with parents April 19. "We are looking to make a change in a program to benefit children. The administration and board of education have listened very carefully to the comments made."

Dr. Marylou McDermott, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction K-12 and principal of the district's three primary schools, presented three options which the district believed addressed parents' concerns regarding the length of the day, extended time for socialization and an opportunity for small group instruction.

Option #1 would simply keep the program in its current format of three full days and two half days for all students. Option #2 suggested implementing a full five-day program where kindergarten students would arrive and leave (3:05 p.m.) the same time first-graders would. Option #3, which Dr. Leitman accepted, suggested all kindergarten students attend school for five days a week between 8:30 a.m. and 2:20 p.m. If a child needed to leave early, for example, at 12:30 p.m. during lunchtime, the district is leaving that decision up to that child's parent(s). "If you, as parents, believe your child has had it by 12:30 then we as educators feel we have covered what's most essential," Dr. McDermott said. "They've gone through their reading and their math in the morning. Any parent would have the opportunity, at 12:30, to say, 'That's enough for my child.' "

Dr. McDermott continued, stating, "It is our responsibility first to remain educationally true and then, wherever we can, respond to the needs of you, the parents, about your children. We're not here to please everybody. We're here to make educationally sound decisions. Many of you expressed opinions that you wanted the program to remain the same. We certainly heard you. We also heard from parents - who called our offices and wrote us letters - who said, 'Garden City is a little bit behind the times. Children should be in a full-day program.' We tried to reflect on all of the things that were said to us - both pro and con - in terms of the change."

District officials boasted Option #3 could offer several advantages: the establishment of a consistent, daily routine for kindergartners, common prep time for all kindergarten teachers, an 80-minute morning literacy block to enable time for small group instruction - a major concern of parents - while continuing the flexibility of movement within groups; reduced class size during literacy instruction; flexibility and increased opportunities for targeted skills instruction; additional time to meet standards in developmentally appropriate programs while still working in a relaxed atmosphere; increased socialization opportunities with students from other classes; and project-based social studies and science programs in the afternoon. Further, with Option #3, there is no longer a need for a teacher aide for literacy since the classes will be no more than 10 students during the 80-minute block.

Residents expressed mixed feelings about the change. One mother, who moved to Garden City three years ago and has three children, said she wished her son, now in second grade, could have taken advantage of such a program back when he was a kindergartner. Another resident, however, said first grade is academically demanding and wasn't completely convinced making it a transitional year was the best route to take.

Another concerned parent questioned why any change was necessary since the current program has successfully brought students through to high school. Dr. McDermott assured the new format is not taking anything away from students but rather giving them more.

Dr. Leitman assured parents the reason for the change has nothing to do with state aid, despite statements claiming otherwise. The district is proposing an over $80 million budget, which the board of education adopted April 20 and will review in public during a hearing May 9. "The difference in state aid from half-day to full-day is $56,000." In the whole scheme of things, Dr. Leitman added, "it's not going to make much of a difference."

The district carefully scrutinizes each of its programs in order to make upgrades wherever necessary. As a superintendent, Dr. Leitman admitted he is not completely in agreement with many of the changes the State Education Department has imposed upon the district.

"I don't know if they're correct but as a superintendent of schools in the state of New York, I'm here to see that our school district exceeds the standards imposed upon us by the State Education Department as well as the federal government - under the new No Child Left Behind law," he said.

Nevertheless, he assured the many changes made during his six-year tenure in Garden City in no way, shape or form was aimed at denigrating a program in existence. "Teaching an education is a profession and it changes every single day," he added. "We've made a large number of changes in the school district during the six years that I've been here. They have not been made because things are bad. They have been made because things need to consistently improve."