Parents learned how Snyder Primary School will operate the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs beginning next school year.
Snyder ISD officials and more than 150 members of the public attended Tuesday’s Parent-Teacher Organization meeting to discuss the changes caused by the possible loss of state funding through the Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction program. Last month, the board of trustees approved cutting the pre-kindergarten program to a half day.
The district receives funding for a half-day pre-kindergarten program and had paid for the remainder of the day through local funds. Cutting the program to a half-day will save the district $200,000, Superintendent Jim Kirkland said.
Principal Canita Rhodes described how pre-kindergarten would operate at the campus. She said parents should feel comfortable approaching the staff with concerns.
“If you have concerns, we want to make sure you feel comfortable coming to school and talking to us,” she said. “We have high expectations of our kids and we need your help at home. And I have high expectations of my staff.”
Rhodes said the campus has “unbelievable” resources and was “confident this is going to be a great place.”
The pre-kindergarten program will have a morning session and afternoon session and lunch will be provided to both groups.
The morning session will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will dismiss after lunch, which will end at noon. The afternoon session will begin with lunch at 12:15 p.m. and dismiss at 3:45 p.m.
Morning classes will start later than other grades at the school to allow parents easier parking lot access. Rhodes said school officials wanted to make sure the bus and parent drop-offs were finished before pre-kindergarten students arrived.
The school district will provide buses to transport students from the morning session to local daycare centers, as well as bringing afternoon students from the centers to the school.
If there is an early release, the afternoon classes will not be held and if an all-day field trip is planned, all classes will attend at the same time. If a short field trip is planned, Rhodes said it would be held during the regular school hours of both sessions.
Classes will be in the Stanfield hallway, Rhodes said referring to the name of the hallways for the elementary campuses in Snyder, both past and present. She said that hallway was selected because it had the fewest classrooms and had the closest access to all of the areas students will use during the day.
One concern was that the classrooms do not have restrooms.
“We have done some troubleshooting on how kids will use the restrooms. The teachers have no issues with what we came up with,” Rhodes said.
Parents were concerned that with the program being cut, positions would be cut. Rhodes said the current nine teachers will continue at the primary school and each class will have one aide.
“That is not changing,” she said.
Computer labs, PE classes and recess will all be condensed to fit into each session, Rhodes said.
“I do not think the students will suffer from offering a half-day pre-K program,” she said. “Change is hard. The pre-K teachers are dedicated to making this work.”
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