Central Bucks OKs plan to realign grades, adds full-day kindergarten

Central Bucks School District will implement full-day kindergarten under a grade reconfiguration plan impacting all 23 schools approved Tuesday night.

The board voted 6-0 for the plan which includes $12 million in renovations to the three high schools to accommodate ninth graders.  Students currently start high school in the tenth grade.

The new grade format also impacts the 15 elementary and five middle schools, but does not include closing any schools or require redistricting attendance boundaries.

CBSD settles lawsuit with teacher Central Bucks to pay suspended teacher, attorneys $425k, remove references to report

A committee made up of staff, parents and students started working on the realignment proposal in 2022. “These changes will have wide-reaching and impactful benefits for our students,” Board President Karen Smith said.

Here are the highlights of what the plan proposes:

Full day kindergarten, elementary school ends at fifth grade

Under the plan the district's elementary schools will move to a K-5 model to accommodate the the proposed full-day kindergarten program.

The full-day kindergarten will not be fully implemented until the 2026-27 school year, under the plan, but a pilot program will start for the 2025-26 school year. The location of the pilot classes will be determined by Nov. 1, according to a district press release announcing the changes.

“A pilot kindergarten program will give us the opportunity to work with our teachers and curriculum department as we continue to refine our plan and make adjustments for it to expand across the district,” Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Nadine Garvin said.

Ninth-grade moves to the high schools, sixth grade to middle schools

Sixth-graders will be added to the district's middle schools starting in the 2026-27 school year. Currently sixth-grade is part of the elementary school grade structure. The plan did not mention if school renovations will be necessary to accommodate the new grade.

In addition to the planned renovations at the three high schools, the district has estimated $9.9 million in ongoing operational costs for staffing and supplies, according to the district.

The costs involving the high school changes will be phased in over three budget years and they are expected to add an estimated $7 each month to the average taxpayer’s bill over five years.

What the 2022 alignment study said Central Bucks School District study eyes grade realignment, closing Linden Elementary

Why does Central Bucks need to realign its grade structure? 

While Central Bucks is one of the largest school districts in Pennsylvania, its enrollment has declined over the last 14 years, according to the district.

Current enrollment is at 17,195 students, down 16% from the 2009-10 school year when more than 20,000 students attended the district, according to the district.

The district is projecting enrollment will be stable over the next decade with a projected 17,168 students enrolled for the 2033-34 school year.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Central Bucks OKs full-day kindergarten, moving grades