Mon Sep 26, 2022, 09:16 PM

Gov. Gavin Newsom rejects [vetoes] mandatory kindergarten law

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, vetoed legislation Sunday night that would have required children to attend kindergarten - whether through homeschooling, public or private school - before entering first grade at a public school.

As he has with other recent legislative vetoes, Newsom cited the costs associated with providing mandatory kindergarten, about $268 million annually, which he said was not accounted for in the California budget.

Newsom has supported similar legislation in the past. Last year, he signed a package of education bills, including one transitioning the state to universal pre-K starting in the 2025-26 school year. But the state's Department of Finance opposed the mandatory kindergarten bill, stating it would strain funds by adding up to 20,000 new public school students.

Proponents of mandatory kindergarten say it could help close the academic opportunity gap for low-income students and students of color, as well as help children develop important social skills before the 1st grade. The bill was introduced after K-12 attendance rates dropped during the pandemic and some students struggled with online learning.

https://abc7.com/california-mandatory-kindergarten-bill-newsom-vetoes-law-education/12266553/

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5 replies	Author	Time	Post
Gov. Gavin Newsom rejects [vetoes] mandatory kindergarten law (Original post)	Just A Box Of Rain	Sep 2022	OP
I never knew people didn't go to kindergarten in this day and age.	jimfields33	Sep 2022	#1
Seems to me like more and more students are attending what's called Pre-K here in CA	Just A Box Of Rain	Sep 2022	#3
In Scandinavia	Dorian Gray	Sep 2022	#5
I know of several politicians who	Jerry2144	Sep 2022	#2
Sometimes the California legislature is just too liberal	Polybius	Sep 2022	#4

Response to Just A Box Of Rain (Original post)

Mon Sep 26, 2022, 09:45 PM

jimfields33 (12,121 posts)

1. I never knew people didn't go to kindergarten in this day and age.

Sounds kind of backwards to me. Doesn’t sound like a good education system whatsoever. To go to first grade when other kids went to kindergarten seems idiotic. Maybe you guys have a reasoning behind it.

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Response to jimfields33 (Reply #1)

Mon Sep 26, 2022, 11:02 PM

Just A Box Of Rain (3,783 posts)

3. Seems to me like more and more students are attending what's called Pre-K here in CA

which is aimed at 4 year olds.

I don't have a good answer to the non-mandatory kindergarten policy, other than it is "traditional" and--what is seeming Newsom's rationale in vetoing the legislation--that it is too expensive.

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Response to jimfields33 (Reply #1)

Tue Sep 27, 2022, 05:00 AM

Dorian Gray (12,952 posts)

5. In Scandinavia

kids often don't enter into any formalized schooling until they are 6. I guess it's the equivalent of Kindergarten.(Though most kids do K here at 5.)

I don't think compulsory education until after Kindergarten is necessary. There is an education gap, and as more and more states add PreK and 3K, I'm curious how that will spread.

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Response to Just A Box Of Rain (Original post)

Mon Sep 26, 2022, 10:01 PM

Jerry2144 (1,360 posts)

2. I know of several politicians who

Couldn’t pass the kindergarten final exams. For some strange reason all of them are GOP?

Is that just correlation or could there be causation, too?

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Response to Just A Box Of Rain (Original post)

Mon Sep 26, 2022, 11:55 PM

Polybius (11,882 posts)

4. Sometimes the California legislature is just too liberal

Yeah, that can be a thing. Gov. Newsom has the exact level of liberalism that I want in a politician.

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