Gov. Gavin Newsom rejects [vetoes] mandatory kindergarten law

[Just A Box Of Rain]

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, vetoed legislation Sunday night that would have required children to attend kindergarten - whether through homeschooling, public or private school - before entering first grade at a public school.

As he has with other recent legislative vetoes, Newsom cited the costs associated with providing mandatory kindergarten, about $268 million annually, which he said was not accounted for in the California budget.

Newsom has supported similar legislation in the past. Last year, he signed a package of education bills, including one transitioning the state to universal pre-K starting in the 2025-26 school year. But the state's Department of Finance opposed the mandatory kindergarten bill, stating it would strain funds by adding up to 20,000 new public school students.

Proponents of mandatory kindergarten say it could help close the academic opportunity gap for low-income students and students of color, as well as help children develop important social skills before the 1st grade. The bill was introduced after K-12 attendance rates dropped during the pandemic and some students struggled with online learning.

https://abc7.com/california-mandatory-kindergarten-bill-newsom-vetoes-law-education/12266553/

[jimfields33]

1. I never knew people didn't go to kindergarten in this day and age.

Sounds kind of backwards to me. Doesn’t sound like a good education system whatsoever. To go to first grade when other kids went to kindergarten seems idiotic. Maybe you guys have a reasoning behind it.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

3. Seems to me like more and more students are attending what's called Pre-K here in CA

which is aimed at 4 year olds.

I don't have a good answer to the non-mandatory kindergarten policy, other than it is "traditional" and--what is seeming Newsom's rationale in vetoing the legislation--that it is too expensive.

[Dorian Gray]

5. In Scandinavia

kids often don't enter into any formalized schooling until they are 6. I guess it's the equivalent of Kindergarten.(Though most kids do K here at 5.)

I don't think compulsory education until after Kindergarten is necessary. There is an education gap, and as more and more states add PreK and 3K, I'm curious how that will spread.

[Jerry2144]

2. I know of several politicians who

Couldn’t pass the kindergarten final exams. For some strange reason all of them are GOP?

Is that just correlation or could there be causation, too?

[Polybius]

4. Sometimes the California legislature is just too liberal

Yeah, that can be a thing. Gov. Newsom has the exact level of liberalism that I want in a politician.