Marblehead looking for more all-day kindergartners

MARBLEHEAD-School officials are keeping their fingers crossed that they?ll get enough all-day kindergarten students to avoid a deficit.Acting School Business manager George Gearhart?s forecast for the fiscal 2011 budget noted that so far only 141 students have registered. The program is scheduled for $565,406, but will have a $70,251 deficit if they get no more registrants.Last spring the School Committee nearly doubled all-day kindergarten tuition, raising it from $1,368 to $2,600 on the recommendation of Superintendent of School Paul Dulac. At the time, Dulac and his administrative team expected 220 students to enroll.The lone opponent was committee member Jonathan Lederman, who feared the increase would drive some parents away. Supporters argued that the $2,600 was cheaper than child care.?New registrations and checks arrive every day, and if an additional 30 students or so register the deficit will disappear,” Gearhart said in his report. “The registration, billing and collection of kindergarten tuition will need to be carefully monitored in order to ensure that this program is fully funded.”Dulac noted that he was in the process of hiring an additional kindergarten teacher but is holding off to see how many children enroll.?We?re dealing with this every day,” he said.Otherwise, Gearhart?s projections for fiscal 2011 were positive: a $51,728 surplus based on a savings of $100,000 in tuition for a special education student?s program and $189,573 in available American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) money, $62,266 unspent from Fiscal 2010 and $127,307 coming in Fiscal 2011.