DAYTON, Tenn.-Rhea County Schools should offer all-day kindergarten this coming academic year if the superintendent can develop an appropriate plan, school board members have decided.
Superintendent Jerry Levengood reported Thursday that 56 percent of parents surveyed recently indicated they prefer a full-day program, while 23 percent opted for the present half-day schedule.
“With the survey, it’s hard not to recommend a full-day schedule,” he said.
At the same time, however, Levengood warned that having kindergarteners riding buses in the afternoon could test the capacity of the transportation department.
“[Transportation supervisor Ronnie Holloway] and I have discussed this, and the problem is we don’t know where the students live,” he said. “I expect there will be an impact on transportation. There will be an impact as long as gas prices stay high.”