WILTON – The Wilton-Lyndeborough Cooperative School District operating budget is down 1.65 percent from last year, the School Board has reached an agreement with the district staff, and the replacement of the roof on the middle-high school is in year three of a five year plan.

The only area of contention at the district meeting to be held on March 10 is full-day kindergarten. The School Board supports the plan for educational reasons. The Budget committee does not, mostly for financial reasons, but also because of lack of proof that the idea works.

The Wilton-Lyndeborough Budget Committee held a public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 8. About 20 people attended the hour-long presentation in the middle-high school cafeteria. The budget and warrant were explained by Superintendent Bryan Lane using a power-point presentation.

Lane said the reasons they support a full-day kindergarten program is that “more than 50 percent of incoming first graders are not ready to learn to read.”

The full-day program would add more hours of instruction, he said, prepare the students “for the rigors of first grade,” and the students would be exposed to art, music, and physical education which are not offered in the half-day program.

He said 70 percent of first graders in the state had full-time kindergarten. Children who are behind in grade one, and do not catch up by grade three, tend to stay behind. The district is implementing several programs to help those children, he said.

Board Member Charlie Post of Lyndeborough presented the Budget Committee’s stand.

Studies of the benefits of the full day program are mixed, he said. The committee looked at a variety of studies “and the jury is still out.”

They looked at results in schools of comparable size, he said, “and there is little difference in subsequent test scores.”

Full-day kindergarten is a long-term commitment with corresponding long-term costs. “State subsidies are guaranteed for the first year only.”

A full-day plan limits the options of those parents who want a half-day program.

Expanding to full day would require hiring one teacher and making a current half-time teacher full time, adding another part time person and a food service position, all for a cost of $117,745. State funds would reduce the cost to $57,000 the first year.

The tax impact would be 8 cents in Lyndeborough and 9 cents in Wilton. The kindergarten is located at the Lyndeborough Central School.

Full-day classes were studied by the district’s Planning Committee, Lane said, which recommended the idea be placed on the warrant for voter consideration.

The district operating budget for 2018-2019 totals $12,344,685.

Line item changes include the reduction of a fifth grade teacher (a retiring teacher would not be replaced); adding a writing component to the new reading program; stressing science and math in the middle school with a lab for pre-engineering; adding an Advanced Placement class in U.S. History; adding or replacing exterior security cameras, and beginning the replacement of the cafeteria tables.

The collective bargaining agreement would add $6,575 in the first year of a three-year agreement.

A request is also made for $50,000 to be added to the Building Equipment/Roadway Capital Reserve Fund.

District meeting will be held on Saturday, March 10, 9 a.m., at the middle-high school. Voting for district officers will take place on Tuesday, March 13 in each town.