Trevor Peters, writing for WLFI, has a story on legislation that passed last year that reduces funding for kindergartners. HB 1001 was initially designed to correct a mistake the State had made, under-budgeting for about 6,000 students they didn’t plan for. In the course of the legislative process, Sen. Ryan Mishler, took issue with the State paying for kindergartners who didn’t turn 5 by August 1 of a year. Superintendent Scott Hanback of Tippecanoe School Corporation explains that there was a waiver process where, in the past, the school was likely to enroll a kindergartner — at the request of a parent — who turned five on August 5 or the 20th or the like.
Mishler was concerned that these kindergartners might double dip. Hang back and get another year of kindergarten on the State’s dime. I can back Mishler up on this. Five year olds are, by and large, a bunch of moochers. So, pursuant to HB 1001, a kindergartner who wasn’t 5 on August 1 of a year can’t be counted as a student for school funding purposes.
This year, TSC is down about 100 kindergartners. Hanback attributes this to the Mishler provision and to a lower birth rate in 2013.
State budget problems solved! Always focusing on the important stuff.
I can understand this egregious expenditure of state money. Eighth grade redshirting was a common phenomena a while back. Eight graders would repeat eight grade so that they could get more growth and athletic prowess before moving to high school. This was especially common in Texas so kids would be bigger and stronger in their freshman year of high school.
So when we look at kids that could be redshirted in kindergarten, consider the fact that another year of maturity would give them a leg up in kickball, more height to play tetherball, and more size to play Red Rover.
Your concerns ignore a moral fact. As the late Justice Scalia once noted, in voicing support for the death penalty, at the time of the Constitutional Convention 7-year-olds could be executed. Five-year-olds do not have the capacity to make such a moral choice as you imply. Thus wait until they are 7, then execute them.