Ask, and pre-K parents receive
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| Pre-K teacher Deb Baker tapes names onto lockers at Reagan Middle School in preparation for the first day of school. In danger of being cut altogether, the Dixon pre-K program begins today but the number of students was reduced by more than half. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@svnmail.com) |
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DIXON – The early bird may get the worm, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Parents who came out in full force to ask the Dixon School Board to keep pre-K programming were granted that request, thanks to two last-minute state grants.
Pre-K starts today for 80 3- and 4-year-olds.
Tuesday night, parents and students were given a tour of the two classrooms in the former sixth-grade wing of Reagan Middle School. The wing has its own entrance, a buzzer for visitors and bathrooms apart from the rest of the school.
Teachers Deb Baker and Jennifer VanHise will have 20 students each in their morning session, and 20 each in their afternoon session. Each will have an assistant.
Tuesday night, they each had a dose of all 40 of their students at once.
It didn’t take the kids long to find a toy, friend or workstation to hold their interest. Some worked together in a makeshift kitchen, using oven mitts and baker hats as they prepared play food for their new friends.
Others built castles with blocks that they then demolished with toy trucks.
Every chair at the art table was full in VanHise’s class. Using construction paper and crayons, some drew self-portraits, while others drew landscapes.
“This isn’t my school,” some returning students said.
The district decided to relocate the program from Jefferson and Lincoln schools. The Lee County Special Education Association also has been moved to Reagan.
Having all of the early education students under one roof seemed like the best option, said Assistant Superintendent Margo Empen.
The playground equipment at Jefferson will be moved to Reagan and a fence will be built.
The program was cut because of losses in state aid and back payments owed to all school districts.
School board members agreed with parents, though, that pre-K was too beneficial to be cut entirely. They agreed to reduce the number of students from 140 to 60, then got a second grant that allowed for 20 more students.
“There were 75 people turned away,” program coordinator Karri Brauman said. “I wanted to service them all like we did last year. But unfortunately, due to the cuts, we are unable to.
“We really appreciate all of the parents who did attend the board meeting and stood up for early childhood education.”
