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Committee approves amended bill to require kindergarten enrollment and full‑day programs
Summary
After extended debate and a late amendment raising the enrollment age language, the committee approved a substitute for Senate Bill 65 to require full‑day kindergarten programs and to adjust statutory age language; sponsors said the change aims to reduce later remediation needs and improve early learning.
The Senate Education Committee passed a substitute for Senate Bill 65 (LC492031) after lengthy debate over parental choice, compulsory attendance and program funding. The amended measure requires local school systems to offer full‑day kindergarten and adjusts statutory language about the age used in enrollment and attendance provisions.
Senator Jessica (presenting on behalf of the sponsor) described the bill as a step to ensure children are not first entering the public system in first grade without kindergarten experience: "If you don't enroll in kindergarten, the first time you show up to public school will be in first grade, and then you have to test in," the presenter said. Supporters argued earlier and more universal kindergarten enrollment can close readiness gaps and support later literacy and math outcomes.
Opponents and several committee members raised concerns about the bill’s scope and enforcement. Some senators described the proposed change from age 6 to age 5 as a significant expansion of compulsory attendance, and questioned whether the measure would unduly intrude on parental discretion (for example, families who homeschool or intentionally delay school entrance). The committee negotiated and approved a package of edits: references to a "fifth birthday" were changed to "sixth birthday," section 3 of the original draft was removed, and the bill title was adjusted to remove language explicitly lowering the compulsory attendance age from 6 to 5.
With those changes the committee approved the substitute; the transcript records a final voice/hand vote with two members recorded as opposed. The substitute requires local school systems to offer a full‑day kindergarten program and makes conforming edits to the statutory text. The sponsor and committee members said they would continue work on implementation details and data collection.
