WEST MILFORD — Calling it a "very healthy kindergarten enrollment," West Milford Township Superintendent of Schools James McLaughlin said nearly 50 more students are registered for kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year than were in the district for this current school year. He called it a benefit of the full-day kindergarten implemented by the district.
McLaughlin reported to the board of education Tuesday that one of the programs implemented last year to address the needs of families in the district was all day kindergarten, “and I certainly see the benefits of that coming through.”
“We have the pleasant challenge of some very healthy Kindergarten enrollments," McLaughlin told the board and the public. "We will have an increasing enrollment in our kindergarten for the next school year. I’ll be making some recommendations to the board of education in July for some additional kindergarten teachers. I think that’s a very, very positive sign for our schools as we move forward.”
McLaughlin said a district-wide total of 260 students are currently registered for kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year, and that 14 sections throughout the district’s six elementary schools are currently approved to accommodate these students. That's up from 214 students this current school year.
“Certain schools are approaching, and in one case have exceeded, our maximum class size number of 25. Consultation with the board of education will occur in the near future to discuss the possibility of new sections of kindergarten,” he told The Messenger.
Kindergarten enrollment was 226 in 2008-09, rose to 242 in 2009-10, stayed there for 2010-11 and fell last year to 214.
Implementation of a full-day kindergarten program last year was partially based on the need to draw in new families to West Milford. A poor economy adversely affected many local homeowners and home sales within the township, resulting in lower school enrollment. As to what role if any the full-day kindergarten program has played in regards to the increased enrollment numbers, McLaughlin said the district will ask.
“The district will be surveying the parents of new kindergarten students to obtain this information," he said in an email. "Once results have been obtained, I will be happy to share them with local media.”
Increased enrollment numbers are typically a result of an increase in township population from families expanding and home sales to new families. So, have home sales in West Milford increased resulting in higher enrollment from new families? McLaughlin said the district doesn't have that information but plans to meet with local real estate agents and provide them with information about the district to share with prospective home buyers.
"The state of our schools and the desirability of West Milford as a home destination are closely intertwined," he said. "We look forward to developing relationships with all those who serve as ambassadors.”
Class size will be considered closely when discussing additional kindergarten classes, said McLaughlin.
“On another important note, our district has and continues to be committed to enrollment numbers in kindergarten that maximize the benefits of instruction. An examination of this year's kindergarten classes range from a low of 14.5 per class to a high of 18 per class. Although these are not guaranteed class numbers for the future, they are an indication of our district's commitment to the first year experience of our students.”
The schools in which McLaughlin said enrollments must be examined are currently Paradise Knoll, Westbrook and Apshawa. Two of those schools - Paradise Knoll and Apshawa - were on the list of three schools being considered as options when the district was looking into closing a school back in 2010.