Scituate School Committee Considers Changing Kindergarten Entrance Age Policy
Proposed shift aims to align cutoff with typical school start date
SCITUATE - December 16 - The Scituate School Committee is considering a change to the kindergarten entrance age policy that would move the cutoff date from Sept. 1 to Sept. 8.
The proposed change aims to align the policy with the typical school start date and allow more children to begin kindergarten when they turn five.
"We felt like this was worthwhile for a number of reasons," said member Maria Fenwick. "One being that it's really hard on families if you have a kid born Sept. 3 and they can't go, they're clearly ready to go and they have to hold another year of preschool and you're paying for that."
The committee reasoned that even if Labor Day falls late, school would never start later than Sept. 8, meaning children would be five by the first day of school under the new policy.
Currently, children with birthdays between Sept. 2 and Sept. 7 may miss starting kindergarten on time, even though they turn five before school begins.
Committee members emphasized the need to balance individual needs with the broader goal of narrowing age ranges within grades.
The committee plans to research policies in other districts and gather data on how many students this change would affect before making a final decision.
In addition to the kindergarten policy discussion, the committee received updates on the district's budget outlook for the upcoming year.
Superintendent Bill Burkhead reported the district is facing a tight budget, with a projected increase of only 1.85% for the 2026 fiscal year.
"I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that nothing has changed. Everything is the same. The bad news is nothing has changed and everything is the same," Burkhead said.
He described the budget as "level funded" or "level services" with a focus on district strategic objectives.
"Whenever you're in a tough budget situation, you go back to the district strategic objectives, you go back to what we've committed to, and that's where the dollars go," Burkhead explained.
The administration is reviewing all building budgets, personnel, and expenses to work within the tight parameters.
Burkhead noted that the district's financial situation is better than some neighboring communities due to factors like stable enrollment and in-house special education services.
"We've just had such an open and honest communication with Town Hall throughout that there really aren't any surprises," he said.
The committee also heard updates on various school initiatives, including efforts to improve attendance and student engagement.
High School Principal Marc Loranger reported a decrease in daily absences by about nine students and tardies by about 10 students compared to last year.
The high school is also seeing improved student connection to the school, with only 4-5% of students in each grade reporting no connection, down significantly from previous years.
"If students want to be in the building and they're happy to be there and they feel safe and they're excited about Scituate High School, they're going to learn more. They're going to come to school more often. Everything gets better," Loranger said.
The next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 13, where a math curriculum update is expected.