Democratic Board of Education member Bob Opotzner has succeeded in getting the school board to focus on the issue of expanding kindergarten in the Ridgefield schools. Opotzner, a former Democratic Town Committee member elected to the school board last year, has made extended day kindergarten one of his focus issues, along with increasing diversity activities in the Ridgefield public schools.
In its June 22 meeting, the Board's Democrats joined with Mr. Opotzner to pass his motion for a special BOE meeting to consider the issue of extended day kindergarten. Most of the Board's Republicans voted against the review. The motion gave the Board a Nov. 15 deadline for the public review, to allow time for necessary research and preparatory work. The motion received a 5 vote majority, as Opotzner was joined by Democrats Mary Pat Devine and Kitty Fischer, along with Republicans Frank D'Angelo and John Armato. Republicans Linda Bunyan, Glen Cordelli, and Maureen Kozlark voted no to the review.
The Board gave the nod to the special review after defeating an earlier Opotzner proposal on extended day kindergarten. By a 6-2 vote, they defeated his motion to allocate $15,000 of this year's anticipated $102,000 surplus for a study of the issue, with a special focus on possible utilization of the Notre Dame property. The Board has already committed $32,000 of the surplus for a much needed portable classroom at Ridgebury School, and $25,000 for a professional study of the entire Ridgebury site and facility.
After passage of his motion, Bob Opotzner said, "As I stated during my election campaign last fall, Ridgefield's current half day kindergarten is not sufficient, in my opinion. I am pleased that the BOE will now have a thorough discussion on the issue. If the townspeople truly suport this issue, they need to come out loud and clear in their interest."
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