Article by Zaidee Stavely and Lasherica Thornton, EdSource

According to a February 2023 Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) budget brief, 25% of districts said they did not have adequate classroom space to meet projected transitional kindergarten enrollment. Similarly, a survey conducted by the California Department of Education and analyzed by the Learning Policy Institute found that 18% of school districts did not have enough classroom space for transitional kindergarten expansion, and more than a third cited facilities as the biggest challenge.

25% of California school districts say they do not have adequate classroom space to meet projected TK enrollment. Additionally, 18% of school districts do not have the room for TK expansion, citing facilities as the biggest challenge. This poses issues to parents across the state, particularly in less affluent areas.

“A lot of districts, on paper, they’re under-enrolled,” said Vincent. “However, the devil’s in the details on that, right? Is there potential extra space where it’s actually needed? And what’s the condition and quality of those spaces, and what would it take to turn them into TK-appropriate classrooms?”