Schools squeeze in kindergartners

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) - The move by the state to provide all schools with funds for full-day kindergarten is so popular several school districts including Zionsville Schools are finding it difficult to find room for new kindergartners. 

Administrators told 24-Hour News 8 they are using every available inch of extra room to accommodate the new students. In the case of Stonegate Elementary School, administrators had to make room for 25 additional students. 

“For example, our music teacher was very gracious in allowing us to use his classroom to accommodate a kindergarten classroom — an increase in what we had originally planned for. He is actually teaching his class from the stage,” said Kristin Landis, principal of Stonegate Elementary.

Zionsville Schools hired eight additional teachers and spent thousands to retrofit rooms with new desks and supplies. Because of growth on the west side of Zionsville, the school board may revisit zoning lines.