Governor Chris Sununu Statement on Full-Day Kindergarten
Concord, NH – Following the legislature’s actions to pass full-day kindergarten today, Governor Chris Sununu issued the following statement:
“The investments made today will give New Hampshire’s children a strong foundation for tomorrow’s future. I am proud to be the first governor to deliver a real full-day kindergarten program for communities across our state, which will close the opportunity gap and provide students, regardless of their economic status, an extra step up as they enter the first grade. Full-day kindergarten is good for children and families, and a critical tool in retaining our future workforce.”
Note:
Sununu, a Republican, initially proposed an $18 million-per-year, need-based grant system that would’ve funded programs for districts with a lot of low-income families but wouldn’t have covered the full costs elsewhere. Lawmakers instead approved partial funding and the use of the keno lottery game to pay for it.
The state currently pays half its standard per-student amount for kindergarten pupils, or about $1,800. Under the new law, the state will provide an additional $1,100 per full-day kindergarten student starting in 2019 and more in later years if keno revenues exceed expectations.