Parents, Elected Officials Rally For Full-Day Kindergarten

Several hundred parents, teachers and elected officials rallied in front of the Fairfax County Government Center Tuesday afternoon in support of full-day kindergarten in all of the county's public schools.

Many children came with their parents to the pre-hearing rally, carrying signs and banging rally sticks. Fairfax County resident Andrea Feigenbaum brought her sons Mitchell and Dylan to the rally. Mitchel is a current kindergartner at Sangster Elementary School in Springfield, which has half-day kindergarten.

"They don't have the chance to learn the basics before they learn the next thing," Fairfax County resident Andrea Feigenbaum said. "We're hoping if we get funding from the Board of Supervisors we'll get full-day K in time for the fall [when Dylan will start kindergarten]."

Many teachers also came out to show their support, also carrying signs that detailed cost of living increases and demanded raises.

"We stand with the teachers, and they stand with us," said Shaista Keating, the chairwoman of who said she saw representatives from all 37 district elementary schools without full-day kindergarten and many others from schools with full-day kindergarten.

The rally came shortly before the start of three days worth of at the Government Center.

At Tuesday night's hearing, which began at 6 p.m., 160 residents, advocates and leaders had signed up to address the Board of Supervisors. Many of them addressed items on Fairfax County Public Schools' $2.2 billion budget, $1.6 billion of which comes from a county transfer from the supervisors.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland has proposed the Board of Supervisors transfer an additional $7.3 million to the School Board, the exact amount needed to implement full-day kindergarten across the district. He has faced reluctance from other supervisors who do not believe the school board will use it for that purpose.

“If we transfer it to you … it’s then up to the school board to use it that way,” Hyland said at the rally. “I think it’s important that this board transfer money that gives you the flexibility to do what needs to be done.”

In Oakton, the program would add full-day elementary programs at Waples Mill Elementary School, if it is approved as part of the school board's final budget in May.

Wolftrap Elementary School Principal Anita Blain said she piloted full-day kindergarten in 1986 for the parochial school system in San Francisco, and that she supports implementing the program in Fairfax County.

"I saw the benefits for the students in the eagerness to learn, the rate at which they learn, and the joy they had being in school," she said. " I am hopeful this grass-roots effort by the parents will be successful in finally bridging the inequity of what we now have in our schools where full-day kindergarten is not an option at all Fairfax elementary schools."

Numerous other elected officials came out to speak at the rally.

“Every child in the Commonwealth of Virginia has the right to equal education opportunities starting with early education,” Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (41st District) said. She said four out of nine elementary schools in her district offer only half-day kindergarten.

Del. Scott Surovell of the 44th district spoke of his own experiences growing up within the FCPS system.

“I would not have been able to go to the public university I had, the law school I had, to have the career I had, to run for the House oDf elegates to lead this community but for the investment that this county made in me and that these teachers that are here today are putting in our children,” Surovell said. “Our same children have to have those same opportunities.”

Surovell also spoke in favor of increasing teacher salaries. He said he ran a constituent survey asking what should be done to improve the quality of education in Fairfax County and "they said teacher salaries is the number one thing we can do,” Surovell said to cheers from the crowd.

Once the rally moved into the government center, attendees flooded into the board auditorium, filling it up to its maximum capacity. Representatives from the office of the fire marshall were present to ensure safety.

Many others who could not fit into the auditorium stayed out in the main hall, where many of the children played, jumping up and down the staircase.

Budget hearings continued at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The final public hearing for the budget is 3 p.m. on Thursday. They will formally adopt a budget April 26.