Candidate Ringius on the Braintree Kindergarten Center

Braintree Patch has asked all of the School Committee candidates where they stand on a kindergarten center at Monatiquot School opening in fall 2014. 

See what the other candidates think about this issue by clicking here.

David Ringius, Jr. – Incumbent running for one of three available four-year seats.

Ringius, the current vice-chair of the committee, was among the members who earlier this year voted to tell Meeting House Montessori School, which currently leases half of Monatiquot, that the school department will not renew its lease at the end of the 2013-2014 school year, opening the door for a possible kindergarten center.

However, in February, he voted against making Monatiquot available for full-day kindergarten this fall, citing a lack of security pre-planning. Since then, he has expressed optimism about added security measures and the addition of a part-time nurse.

There are many details that remain to be sorted out, especially financially, before the school department can open the kindergarten center in fall 2014, Ringius said in a recent interview. That said, he supports it because “we need immediate space now” and opening the center would give each school one to two additional classrooms.

“It’s not the final fix by any stretch,” but some schools, such asLiberty, “are bursting at the seams,” Ringius said.

Ringius said he appreciates the concerns of parents who spoke last Monday night about the transition for students from a kindergarten center to their home school, but said that he has a daughter entering kindergarten next fall and knows that he has to do what’s best for the entire town.  He also has a fourth grader at Hollis. 

“I definitely as parent wanted to see them go off together on the same day of school,” Ringius said. “Is it a perfect answer? No. But it is the best answer right now.”