UPDATE: Wareham kindergartens will not see budget cuts

Jul 29, 2015

Update: Both the House and Senate overrode Baker's veto of the kindergarten grant program Wednesday afternoon. Both votes were passed unanimously, with the House voting 155 - 0, and the Senate voting 38 - 0.

Wareham’s kindergarten classes may face more than $86,000 in funding losses, if Gov. Charlie Baker’s budget cuts make it through the state House and Senate.

Baker signed the state’s $38.1 billion budget on July 17. The budget contains $162 million in line-item vetoes, including slashing multiple grants that fund full-day kindergartens throughout the state by $17.6 million. If the veto passes the House and Senate, it will leave the program with $1 million, to be distributed among all the kindergartens throughout Massachusetts.

Massachusetts is one of the 39 states that does not mandate full-day kindergarten, which is why grants at the state and local levels are necessary to keep the state’s kindergartens running.

Wareham Public Schools Finance Manager Michael MacMillan said the district’s kindergartens would be losing $86,530, the amount received last year through the state program.

“We prepare for lots of different contingencies, and we have funds in place, but that would have to be discussed with [Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood] and the School Committee, before any final decision,” MacMillan said.

John W. Decas Elementary School Principal Donna Noonan said a cut to funding would certainly affect the school, but she did not “want to predict a storm, if there isn’t going to be a storm.”

“I am hopeful we won’t need to make those kinds of decisions,” Noonan said. “All educational funding is important funding. We need to make the learning experience for our kids the best it can be.”

MacMillan said that while the district is always looks for grant funding from other sources, there is no saved up “rainy day” money.

“We have to live within the budget,” MacMillan said. “It depends on how much pressure is put on representatives, and how much political will there is.”

Wareham's state Rep. Susan Gifford said given the bipartisan support she sees in favor of restoring the kindergarten funding, she is “optimistic that this veto will be brought before us for an override, possibly within this week. However, the decision ultimately rests with House Speaker [Robert] DeLeo.”