PLAISTOW — Many area kindergarten classrooms are 50 to 100 square feet smaller than the standard required by the state Department of Education.
But if schools avoid overcrowding by limiting the number of students to maintain 50 square feet of space per child, they're OK. The kindergartens will receive state approval and not be penalized for failing to comply with the 1,000-square-foot requirement, according to Ed Murdough, administrator of the Bureau of School Approvals and Facility Management.
For example, all the Timberlane Regional School District kindergartens — except for the classrooms at Atkinson Academy — fall short of the state's space guidelines, according to School Superintendent Richard La Salle.
In an effort to meet the state mandate to offer public kindergarten, the Timberlane district converted classrooms, which are only required to measure 900 square feet, to kindergartens. Only Atkinson built new kindergarten classrooms, La Salle said.
The kindergartens at Pollard School seem roomy because the furniture was ordered with an eye toward saving space, Principal Michelle Auger said.
"We bought smart," she said.
Auger mentioned stacking tables and small chairs, which allow the teachers to maximize space. She said Pollard converted the two best classrooms in the building to kindergarten, and they measure 950 square feet. At most, there are 19 students in a class.
Any newly built classrooms must conform to the 1,000-square-foot standard, Murdough said. The space includes storage and a toilet room, he said.
He said schools could have problems securing state approval if there is overcrowding. The ultimate penalty would be closing the school, but the violation would have to be serious to warrant that decision, he said.
Hampstead also converted classrooms, Assistant School Superintendent Winfried Feneberg said. As a result, the kindergartens all fall about 50 square feet short of the standard.
"It's not causing any instructional problems," Feneberg said.
The Hampstead district limits class size to 18 students and satisfies the state requirement.
"Our experience with kindergarten has been very positive," he said.
Sanborn Superintendent Keith Pfeifer said all the kindergarten classrooms are 900 square feet because classrooms at the Bakie and Memorial schools were converted three years ago.
But all Sanborn's classrooms have received state approval.
"The policy is to limit class sizes to 18," Pfeifer said. "We attempt to abide by that. Our kindergarten program has been very successful. We're very pleased with the results we're getting."
Derry School Superintendent Mary Ellen Hannon did not return calls asking for comment. Previously, she said, classrooms were converted in four of the five elementary schools. But Derry also built two new classrooms in a new wing at Grinnell Elementary School.
Salem, Pelham and Windham do not offer kindergarten, but they have started preregistration for next fall.
The first local district to establish kindergarten was Londonderry, which built Moose Hill kindergarten in 2001. All the classrooms are up to the state standard, according to Peter Curro, the district's business manager.
"The original plan — way a long time ago — was we would eventually move the kindergartens into the buildings, and Moose Hill would be a second middle school," Curro said. "But it's been such a success and everybody likes it. We'd have an uproar if we tried to change it."
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ
Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
