Ridgefield Candidates '97
Board of Education

Bob Opotzner

On Extended Day Kindergarten

The following statement was released by Bob Opotzner and published in The Ridgefield Press on September 25, 1997:

People who have attended Ridgefield Board of Education meetings since my recent election know that I support studying and potentially implementing an extended kindergarten school day. As the school board considers expanding its facilities to fulfill its needs into the millennium, thought must be given to curriculum needs, not merely building needs. One area that I will focus my attention is analysis of extending tbe kindergarten school day.

A thoughtful approach to this issue must include surveying parents' opinions for this program; obtaining recommendations from teachers and administrators; developing curriculum; determining the length of the day and goals to achieve; balancing social and educational needs of children; and assessing costs and facility needs. I hope that the board chairman will establish a committee of board members, parents, teachers and administrators to study this. I intend if reelected to continue analyzing this issue.

My prior experience on the Shelton school board indicates that adopting such a program will take significant time and energy. I know that implementation will have economic ramifications and that space needs may delay the program. This raises the issue of balancing educational needs of children with fiscal constraints of operating the schools within reasonable budgets. I hope that after thorough analysis the school board will decide that extending the kindergarten school day would be accepted as a viable and an educationally sound expenditure.

I intend to make a difference in Ridgefield upon election to the school board for the two-year seat in November.

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