BOARD MAKES GOOD KINDERGARTEN CHOICE

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education acted in a timely way -- before the start of the new school year -- and in a logical fashion -- no more busing of kindergartners -- when it decided last week to revise the district's policies regarding class sizes.

Up till now, the district has operated on a board-mandated maximum of no more than 25 students per teacher. This has created a problem in recent years for elementary schools where the availability of teachers and classrooms dictated how many students could be enrolled at each school.

As a result of the policy, students from the attendance areas of some elementary schools were reassigned to other schools in order to state within the student-teacher ratio. But this mean kindergarten-age students first went to their home school and then were bused to another school for classes.

This year, several parents expressed their concerns. Many of them reside in the Clippard Elementary school attendance area. They pointed out that, in some cases, they chose to buy homes near Clippard so their children could attend the school. Busing plans didn't go down too well with these parents.

The school board agreed. For now, the district will accommodate elementary students at the school they are supposed to attend by adding classrooms and teachers where needed and by increasing the student-teacher ratio to 30-1.

For the most part, this will be a temporary arrangement until new school authorized earlier this year by voters are constructed. At that time, some existing buildings will be closed, and attendance areas will reflect the buildings in use. At that time, district officials believe, most of the overcrowding that exists at some schools while others have fewer children in the lower grades will pretty much be resolved.

Until then, however, children in grades one through six will continue to be bused as needed based on enrollments at the various elementary schools.

Most parents seen entering kindergarten as a particularly trying time for youngsters. They want their children's school experiences to be as positive as possible with as few snags as possible. The school board's decision to accommodate the kindergartners will go a long way in reassuring parents that the district is just as interested in the overall educational experience of young children as their parents are.