With a vote of 24-3, a bill making all-day kindergarten an option for Utah schools passed the legislature on Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Spendlove, will change current formulas used by the state to help fund full-day length kindergarten classes. To make the bill work, local school districts will still have half-day classes as an option for parents.
According to Spendlove, a previous challenge for getting the funding was not having systems in place to make full-day classes a reality. Spendlove says that if schools have the proper infrastructure and the ability to provide the option of full-day classes, that’s great, but if schools aren’t able to make the change, they will have time to integrate it once they have the resources.
The bill will now head to Gov. Spencer Cox where it will either get his signature or get a veto.
