California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would mandate kindergarten for all children before entering grade school, citing that the costs associated with the legislation are not in the state budget.
The legislation, authored by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, would have required all elementary schools to offer at least one full-day kindergarten class by 2030-31, with phased-in implementation beginning in 2027-28.
Kindergarten enrollment in California dropped nearly 12% in the 2020-21 academic year compared to the previous year, according to the state Department of Education. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, public school enrollment dropped by 3 percent in 2020-21 compared to the previous school year, with preschool and kindergarten enrollment dropping at higher rates.
“This bill will create ongoing and one-time costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars to support school facilities and operational costs. With our state facing lower-than-expected revenues over the first few months of this fiscal year, it is important to remain disciplined when it comes to spending, particularly spending that is ongoing,” Newsom wrote in a statement.
According to Newsom the costs associated with providing mandatory kindergarten were about $268 million annually, which he said is not accounted for in the California budget.
Newsom previously supported a similar bill that requires a student to attend one year of kindergarten before the student may be admitted to first grade by the 2024-25 school year. However, the State’s Department of Finance opposed the legislation, claiming it would strain funds by adding up to 20,000 new public school students.
According to McCarty, full-day kindergarten gives students the time they need to engage in meaningful learning and play, resulting in greater school readiness, self-confidence, and academic achievement compared to part-day programs.
Those in support of AB 1973, including First 5 California, said “full-day kindergarten programs also improve school-readiness by giving children more opportunities for social-emotional and behavioral development, resulting in greater self-confidence and ability to work and play with others."
In opposition to the bill, the California School Boards Association said that the legislation would “also present increased challenges to our smaller and more rural school districts, which already struggle to a greater degree with staffing shortages and lack of adequate school facilities. Furthermore, there is no additional funding identified in this measure to fund the expansion of full-day kindergarten."
Kindergarten is required in 19 states and Washington, D.C., and 17 states and D.C. require full-day kindergarten, according to the Education Commission of the States.
In his veto message, Newsom said he received “measures with potential costs of well over $20 billion in one-time spending commitments and more than $10 billion in ongoing commitments not accounted for in the state budget.”
“Bills with a significant fiscal impact, such as this measure, should be considered and accounted for in the annual budget process," Newsom said.
