I usually don’t blog on political issues but felt I had to speak out against the plan to eliminate full day kindergarten at Philadelphia public schools.

The Philadelphia School District’s 2011-12 $2.8 billion budget contains more than $629 million in cuts – including the total elimination of full-day kindergarten, slashing school discretionary funds by an average of 30 percent, and losing more than 3,000 jobs. Parents are talking about the city’s budget crisis and how it will impact working mothers and fathers.

Major cuts in state funding combined with loss of federal stimulus money apparently “forced” Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and her staff to make these trims.

I first read about this with disbelief. How can a major city like Philadelphia eliminate full-day kindergarten?

Many parents believe in public school and choose to send their children to K-8 schools. A local mother I know is frustrated because her daughter is expected to attend kindergarten in September and it’s too late to enroll her elsewhere. These cuts will have a devastating impact on her–and countless others.

Gov. Corbett said last week that the real culprit is the reduction in federal funding, The Inquirer reported.

How are working families of this city expected to work if their kids are only in school for three hours? Many parents cannot afford to send their children to private school or afford a part-time nanny.

These planned education cuts would be a disastrous move and send a message the city does not value early childhood education. If this did go through, working parents would leave the city in droves for public school education elsewhere.

If you live in Philadelphia, take action. Call Gov. Corbett’s office in Harrisburg at (717) 787-2500 and voice your complaint against budget cuts to education and eliminating full day kindergarten at Philadelphia public schools. The future of Philadelphia–and our children–is at stake.