Many existing kindergarten classrooms in the district don’t meet state standards. Now, they’re getting ready to add another grade for young children: transitional kindergarten (TK).

In 2021, California started a $2.7 billion plan to offer TK to all 4-year-olds by the 2025-2026 school year, aiming to create the largest free preschool program in the country.

But school districts like Pace’s are struggling to build or modify facilities suitable for these new young learners.

Why it’s tough and costly?

San Bernardino City Unified is finishing up using $250 million in bond money raised over a decade ago for school improvements.

“All of the specialized space is highly expensive, and for those school districts that lack the local resources, we struggle to make those improvements on a grand scale,” Pace said.

State requirements for new TK classrooms (and kindergarten classrooms) are different than those of typical classrooms. 4-year-olds need space to play, indoors and outdoors, and they need supervision when going to the bathroom, which means having a restroom inside the classroom or close by.

In San Bernardino, 150 of the 190 early education classrooms don’t meet those standards, Pace said.

A recent analysis of state data found most districts reported having classroom space for early learners, but a third had concerns about facilities, including square footage, bathrooms, and outdoor play areas.

In 2022, California expanded a grant program to help school districts build or renovate TK classrooms. Through two rounds of funding, the state has given out $585.9 million.

But the program requires school districts to provide matching funds at the local level, which can be difficult for lower-resourced districts.

Last month, the governor in his May revised budget cut more than half a billion dollars for that program. Lawmakers are considering putting a statewide bond on the ballot in November.

Why learning environments matter?

Space is important for young children, because they learn through play. Susan Samarge-Powell, director of early learning at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, said, “It’s about moving around, they’re moving all day long. And so having that space to afford them that ability is a big deal.”

Restrooms are also important because four-year-olds don’t have the same bladder control as older kids.

When bathrooms aren’t inside the classroom, it leads to more “transition” time, with kids having to line up to go to the bathroom or walk down the hall. This can lead to less learning time and more behavioral issues.

How the state helps?

The California Department of Education is advising local school districts on best practices for arranging child-sized furniture and making classrooms appropriate for 4-year-olds. They also have a toolkit on helping kids go to the bathroom.

A study found children who attended TK in California had stronger literacy and math skills when entering kindergarten than kids who didn’t attend the program.

The goal is to give more children access to TK to set them up for success later in life.

What districts without local funds do?

San Bernardino City Unified got some funding from the state grant program to help build an early learning center, but that would be for just seven classrooms across a large district. The district didn’t apply for another round because they didn’t have enough local money for a match.

Fontana Unified School District applied for more than $23 million but hasn’t received any of it. The district is looking to put TK classrooms in seven schools.

Alan Reising, business services administrator with Long Beach Unified, said districts will have to re-prioritize their local dollars to make do with what they have.

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The governor’s proposed budget would cut one-time spending by $19.1 billion and ongoing spending by $13.7 billion through fiscal year 2025-2026, according to the fact sheet. It would enact a nearly 8% cut to state operations, eliminating 10,000 unfilled positions.

The sheet said the governor plans to balance the budget by “getting state spending under control — cutting costs, not proposing new taxes.” He also wants to do this by “reducing reliance on the state’s ‘Rainy Day’ reserves this year.”

The true deficit number may actually be closer to $45 billion, as the administration subtracted a $17.3 billion package of budget fixes Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, agreed to in April.

The administration acknowledged it had cut the $17.3 billion from the overall shortfall number in a fact sheet released just before the governor’s press conference Friday.

It was immediately unclear how exactly the administration calculated the deficit, aside from subtracting the legislative agreement.

Newsom pegged the spending gap at $38 billion in January, although the independent Legislative Analyst’s Office later suggested it could be as high as $73 billion.

California’s fiscal year-over-year revenues were $5.8 billion or 4% below Department of Finance forecasts as of March, indicating the overall deficit likely grew.

Budget-watchers had predicted Newsom’s strategy in advance, suggesting he may present a rosier shortfall number by incorporating a handful of previously planned fixes.

The governor’s revised budget announcement kicks off a month of negotiations involving his administration, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg.

The Legislature must pass a budget by June 15 for lawmakers to continue getting paid. The new fiscal year begins on July 1, meaning Newsom has to sign budget legislation by the end of the month.

Just two years ago, the governor was celebrating a budget with a large surplus. This allowed him to invest in a series of bigger policy initiatives, including transitional kindergarten, or pre-kindergarten, Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented immigrants and CARE Court to compel treatment for the seriously mentally ill.

The state in January enacted the final piece of its expansion of Medi-Cal — California’s version of the federal Medicaid program — allowing all those who income-quality to enroll, regardless of immigration status.

But the post-COVID-19 pandemic economy hit California hard. That’s because the state is heavily dependent on its highest-income earners due to its graduated tax structure, the tourist industry was hit hard and supply chains were disrupted.

Federal efforts toeaseinflation by raising interest rates have cooled industries sensitive to rate hikes. This has affected some activities, such as home buying and startup and tech investing.

Also hamstringing the state’s efforts to gauge the government’s economic condition, those involved in crafting the state’s 2023-2024 budget were unable to get the most accurate picture of the state’s finances until November, long after lawmakers and the governor had agreed to a spending plan.

The delay was caused by a large number of Californians who could delay filing their 2023 taxes until November due to deferrals the IRS granted to those affected by winter storms. The situation helped complicate the state’s financial outlook heading into 2024.

Newsom in 2023 and in January committed to some cuts while preserving his major initiatives and social safety net programs.

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