Dear Editor:
The Jan. 14 article on Kyrene's decision to fund full-day kindergarten ("Kyrene to provide free, full-day kindergarten," AFN) failed to explain the issues surrounding the merits of making this decision now. Further, the caption under the photo implies that newly elected board members Beth Brizel and Bernadette Coggins voted against the motion with disregard for parents, when this is very far from the truth. All of Kyrene's board members devoted a great deal of time studying the implications of committing now to full-day kindergarten and that evening's discussion reflected the complexity of the issue.
Coggins and Brizel both declared their support for full-day kindergarten. They were, however, concerned with making this decision about the 2011-12 educational budget when there is no budget yet to work with, before the state has decided on education funding for next year.
They also did not want to vote yet on full-day kindergarten without knowing the impact on other budget decisions, including possible program cuts and teacher salary reductions. Each Kyrene board member voted with integrity; each made an informed, yet difficult decision regarding this complex issue.
Janet Bartelt
Kyrene Education Association Vice President
