Two North Sonoma County districts closing TK classes

Two small elementary school districts in North Sonoma County are closing their transitional kindergarten programs due to a lack of state funding, The Press Democrat reported. 

The result: parents in Alexander Valley and Geyserville school districts who want to enroll their four-year- olds in TK may have to choose between a long commute or alternative early education for their students, according to The Press Democrat. 

Though Gov. Gavin Newsom allotted $1.2 billion last year to support districts in expanding or establishing TK programs, none of the money went to the Alexander Valley and Geyserville schools because they are considered basic aid districts mostly funded by local property taxes, according to The Press Democrat. 

Alexander Valley Superintendent Matt Reno told The Press Democrat it would cost around six figures to support a TK program, which requires updates to playgrounds and bathrooms and additional staff to supervise the young learners and would be unsustainable to maintain the program without per-pupil funding. 

Alexander Valley School District parents have the option to send their students to Windsor Unified School District over 10 miles away, The Press Democrat reported. Geyserville Unified will vote on Feb. 15 on whether to partner with Windsor Unified, which has 12 classrooms at two schools due to the state’s allotment for local control funded districts. 

“It’s just not realistic,” Alexander Valley mother of three Rosie Monson said. “We cannot add two hours to driving every day in order to get my daughter to a different school, two towns away.”