Is Kindergarten essential to your child's education? One WNY school district doesn't think so. Find out what budget cuts are on the table inside. 

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In order to close a $1 million budget gap, the Niagara-Wheatfield school board has proposed cutting the Kindergarten program. Based on the current numbers, the school district is looking to cut 20 full-time positions, and cutting Kindergarten will eliminate 15 full-time employees.

Since Kindergarten is NOT mandated in this state, the district can legally do this. They said they want to cut whatever would affect the least amount of students, so they would rather cut Kindergarten over sports, music and art.

If you're opposed to this idea, you can make your voice heard by the Board of Education and vote Yes on the proposed budget which includes a 6% tax increase in order to save Kindergarten! Voting happens May 21 2013.

Some argue that Kindergarten is the MOST essential part of schooling for a child because that’s when their minds are growing and can absorb the most information. So cutting Kindergarten is actually doing the most damage to students.

In conducting research on this topic, Intern MeMe found out that only 15 states in America have made Kindergarten mandatory. That means Kindergarten is only an option in 35 states!

In trying to get Kindergarten mandated in Indiana, a superintendent-elect in that state claimed:

“When we get a young child in first grade that has not been to kindergarten, and has not been to preschool, then they are two years behind being successful as a first grader. "

She also goes on to say:

“Those kids are always behind-especially when it’s time to take the statewide third grade reading test, which is required to move on to fourth grade.”

Kindergarten is a very important time in a child's development, and cutting it could be life changing for that child.

However, some people may claim that parents should take more time to teach their own kids basic principles like numbers and letters.

Here is what some of our community members had to say on this topic!

Other callers think mandatory Kindergarten is a bad idea.

These moms are passionate. Listen to what they have to say about cancelling Kindergarten!

Intern MeMe contributed to this post

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