When 'Intense' Means 'Probably'

The Sentinel covers last night's School Committee meeting regarding full-day kindergarten, and for fans of the plan (like us), the news is promising.

It appears there is general concensus for full-day kindergarten for everyone, but some concerns over how to go about. The school system is in line for $1.1 million in state aid, but that doesn't kick in until the 2007-08 school year, so some changes are in order for '06-'07, including some school closings and room changes.

Now, on to a little media criticism (and our standard disclaimer that we used to work for the Sentinel's parent company). The headline to the story reads "Kindergarten plan sparks intense debate." The second paragraph in the story notes the public hearing "highlighted many ambivalent opinions," and offers nary a quote or paraphrase of strong resistence to the plan.

For some reason, the Sentinel's headlines and some of the copy has been pretty slanted against the proposal. We've endorsed this idea, and still think full-day kindergarten is an important educational priority -- especially in an urban community like Fitchburg. The School Committee votes on it next week, and we hope the outcome is positive.