Garrison proposes universal full-day kindergarten

For immediate release: Monday, July 31, 2006

CONTACT: Danielle Nelson at (614) 644-8728 or John Kohlstrand at (614) 466-9036

Garrison proposes universal full-day kindergarten

State Representative Jennifer Garrison, D-Marietta, today announced a proposal that could make universal full-day kindergarten a reality in Ohio.

Garrison said she will formally introduce her legislation tomorrow as an alternative to the capital gains tax break for wealthy investors now being championed by House Republicans.

Garrison’s plan would adjust Ohio’s school funding formula so that kindergarteners who attend school for a full-day are treated as one full student. Currently, state government funds kindergarteners as one-half of a student, no matter how long their school day.

The plan would be phased in over three years at the same level of funding set for the GOP proposal for a tax break for investors: $105 million in the 2008 fiscal year, $171 million in the 2009 fiscal year and about $250 million when fully funded in 2010.

The goal, Garrison said, is to give all districts that want to move to full-day kindergarten the resources to do so. She said her proposal would spur the economy by putting Ohio’s littlest people on the right track to compete in an increasingly complex, high-tech economy.

“This proposal offers Ohioans a clear choice,” Garrison said.

“Should we invest in our most precious asset – our children – and ensure they get off to the very best start in a society that’s growing more complex every day?” Garrison said. “Or should we further enrich a select few who are already at the top of the heap?”

“For most Ohioans, I think the choice is pretty clear,” she said.

Currently, some of Ohio’s wealthiest districts have opted to move to full-day kindergarten at their own cost, and some of Ohio’s poorest districts have adopted full-day kindergarten by making use of poverty-based assistance included in Ohio’s school funding formula.

Garrison’s goal is to put all districts on an even playing field when it comes to kindergarten and reward districts that have already invested in it.

“I suspect the vast majority of Ohio’s school districts would move to full-day kindergarten if they had the resources,” Garrison said. “Under this plan, schools will get those resources.”

House Democratic Leader Joyce Beatty said she will be interested to see if Garrison’s plan wins bipartisan support.

“House Democrats believe it’s time for Statehouse needs to put middle-class families first for a change. This proposal definitely lives up to that spirit,” said Beatty, D-Columbus.

In contrast, the capital gains tax cut proposal put forward by House Republicans has come under criticism.

Three quarters of the entire benefit of the GOP plan would be devoted to the top 1 percent of income earners – people who earn, on average, $812,000 per year. Nearly 85 percent of Ohioans would receive no benefit.  

Moreover, a recent study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy has concluded the Republican capital gains plan would siphon money out of Ohio’s economy and cost Ohio jobs because one-fifth of the benefit would be sent back to Washington in the form of additional federal taxes.

“Many school districts have already made the move to full-day kindergarten because they understand how important this can be for a child’s lifelong learning potential,” Garrison said. “If we are serious about the fact that education is an economic development tool for a knowledge-based economy, then this is the first step in the right direction.”

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