King: Cuomo, lawmakers should learn from year one of pre-K
Jessica Bakeman
ALBANY—Education commissioner John King said Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature should use the first year of New York's pre-kindergarten expansion to inform changes that might make the program more accessible to school districts in future years.
The current state budget includes $300 million for full-day pre-K programs in New York City and $40 million for those in the rest of the state, but Capital reported this week that few upstate districts plan to participate.
“A number of challenges are posed by the rhythm of the legislative process as opposed to the rhythm of the school year, so that by the time the budget was passed, districts were already into the process of putting their budgets in place for the next school year,” King told Capital on Wednesday after a speaking engagement. “But I think what we'll see over time is more districts joining the program next year. … I think it will evolve over time. I also think it would be an opportunity for the governor and the Legislature to look at lessons learned from this year and try to apply them in next year's budget.”
http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/albany/2014/05/8545399/king-cuomo-lawmakers-should-learn-year-one-pre-k
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