Oak Bay students could wait for all-day kindergarten until 2011
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Updated: October 27, 2009 6:49 PM
Willows elementary may have to wait another year to offer all-day kindergarten.
All 28 elementary schools in the Greater Victoria School District will have the program up and running by the 2011-12 school year, but certain schools have been targeted to start next fall.
District superintendent John Gaiptman unveiled a priority list to trustees last week, with schools at the top expected to offer all-day kindergarten in 2010. Willows was placed in the middle of the pack.
“This is only to (determine) which schools can have all-day (kindergarten) in September 2010, knowing that all schools will have all-day (kindergarten) by September 2011,” Gaiptman said.
The top five schools on the list are Quadra, George Jay, Craigflower, Macaulay and James Bay.
The schools were prioritized by available space and number of aboriginal, ESL or “vulnerable” students, Gaiptman said.
The Education Ministry expects to make a decision on which schools will start the all-day model by December.
The province has pledged $44 million to start the all-day kindergarten program next September, which is expected to fund it in about half of B.C. elementaries. For the 2011-12 school year, the ministry has budgeted $107 million for all-day kindergarten across the province.
ecardone@vicnews.com
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