Parental Pleas of support of 4K Kindergarten were heard at the conclusion of Monday night’s District 56 School Board meeting.
Melissa Patton urged the board to not cut the seventh class of children from 4K at M.S. Bailey Child Development Center. She told the board that her family does not meet the income guideline requirements to guarantee a spot in 4K but that she needs the program to ensure that her 3-year-old twins are ready for 5K. Ms. Patton said she realized that a state grant providing the funding for the additional class is no longer available but she asked the board to persuade the district’s administration to find a way to continue the class. She explained that some parents may choose not to move into the district without a 4K program available and some might even leave the district in order to have access to a quality 4-year-old kindergarten.
Trisha Nolan addressed the board next. She said that her family came to Clinton 5 years ago to work at Presbyterian College where her husband is a professor and she works as the Director of Academic Success. She said that her family moved into a house when the previous family decided to move to Simpsonville due to better educational opportunities. She acknowledged that hearing of the wonderful accomplishments shared during the meeting was uplifting but she said there was a perception in the community that education is better elsewhere. Ms. Nolan said that among the district’s standout accomplishments were the Science Olympiad teams and the M.S. Bailey Child Development Center. She said that her son is at M.S. Bailey right now and while he is not a child that loves to learn, he is thriving there and learning there. She asked the board to not cut what she said was one of the district’s success stories.
The board thanked both for their participation but took no action.