Whitehall-Coplay School District hosted a public presentation Feb. 13 on its prospective full-day kindergarten program.

Superintendent Dr. Lorie Hackett led a 40-minute program on the results of the district’s feasibility study, which was followed by a Q&A session for parents and guests in attendance at the meeting, held in the high school’s LGI room.

Due to building and space restraints, the district is unable to offer full-day kindergarten without significant construction. Hackett said the district was presented with two options: Renovate Gockley Elementary School and add at least eight new classrooms or build a new facility for kindergarten and first grade.

Administrators have elected to pursue the path of constructing a new building at an estimated cost of $36 million. The projected opening of the new facility would be for the 2021-22 school year.

No changes to the current kindergarten schedule are planned for the upcoming 2018-19 school year.

The following Q&A was created from information gathered by The Press and not a part of the actual presentation.

Q: Why is the district recommending full-day kindergarten?

A: Studies have shown that full-day kindergarten programs have produced stronger literacy skills, increased understanding of math concepts and effective social skills. Data from the 2016-17 school year shows that 30 percent of third-graders are not reading at grade level, which significantly impacts the rest of their academic career.

Q: What are other nearby districts doing?

A: According to the data presented, there are 500 school districts in Pennsylvania. WCSD is one of 38 districts in the state to not offer full-day kindergarten. Northwestern Lehigh, Southern Lehigh and East Penn will begin offering full-day kindergarten next year, leaving WCSD as one of only two districts in Lehigh and Northampton counties without it.

Q: The district recently did an interest survey on full-day kindergarten. What were the results?

A: 80.9 percent of participants said they support a full-day kindergarten program.

Q: How much will it cost?

A: Construction of the new facility is estimated at $36 million, plus an estimated personnel cost of $600,000. The district is proposing a 3.5-percent tax increase during the three-year construction period, which equates to an increase of approximately $100 a year for the average resident.

Q: How do Whitehall’s school taxes compare to others in the area?

A: Out of nine school districts in Lehigh County, Whitehall-Coplay residents pay the fifth-highest tax rate. Even with the proposed 3.5-percent increase over the next three years, Whitehall-Coplay is expected to remain the median in the county and not jump into the top half.

Q: Why is the district looking at constructing a new building versus the Gockley renovations?

A: Gockley is already 40 years old. Engineers determined the building’s maintenance needs and increasing energy costs could not be addressed through renovations.

Q: What does the timeline look like?

A: The school board will be discussing and voting on the matter in 2018, with planning and construction scheduled for 2019-20. If the proposed project stays on schedule, the new building would be ready by September 2021.

Parents and community members with comments on the proposed plan are encouraged to email their thoughts to fulldaykindergarten@whitehallcoplay.org. Questions and comments will not receive a response via this email, but all messages will be forwarded to the school board and district administration.