The space and supplies for all-day kindergarten could cost the Bismarck School District more than it would get in state aid next year.

The costs are about $135,000 more than the district would get in per pupil funding, but many of those items are one-time expenses.

"We tried to be as inclusive as possible, we're actually high in our estimates," assistant superintendent Fran Rodenburg said.

She went over the all-day kindergarten costs at the Bismarck School Board meeting Monday.

Next year, the district could receive about $2.5 million in state funding for kindergarten students because of a change in the state funding formula. Its on-going expenses are estimated at $2.1 million, while start-up costs are estimated at $404,000 and leasing space for Northridge is about $155,000.

If it didn't offer all-day kindergarten, it would receive about $1.7 million in funding from the state. The estimates are based on student enrollment, and with a full-day program, the district receives a full state aid payment instead of half a payment per student.

The district needs more classroom spaces, teachers and supplies for the classrooms.

All-day kindergarten is in six of the district's elementary schools. At those schools, it will not need to find extra classroom space. Those schools are Moses, Myhre, Riverside, Roosevelt, Saxvik and Will-Moore. It also has space at Highland Acres and Prairie Rose, which only have one section of kindergarten. Pioneer and Grimsrud, which each need one more classroom for kindergarten, also have space for extra classroom spaces.

The other elementary schools in the district will need to find space. Centennial needs one extra classroom and Miller, Murphy, Northridge and Solheim need two extra classrooms.

Solheim and Miller would need remodeling and Centennial and Murphy would need portables. Northridge needs space off-campus.

The district wants to lease space at Corpus Christi, a nearby church. The building has four to five classrooms and kitchen space that could be leased for the kindergarten or sixth grade. A meeting at the church explained the options the district is considering.

So far, the district does not have a lease with the church. The district is considering the church because of its proximity to the school. Northridge does not have space in the school to accommodate the extra classrooms, and there is not space on-site for a portable classroom.

If the district goes off-site, they will need to hire an office assistant and an instructional assistant. If sixth-graders are at the site, then they'll have to be bused to Hughes Educational Center for physical education. They district also would buy a mobile laptop computer lab. If kindergartners are there, they'll need to buy library books and some playground equipment.

Overall, the district needs to hire 13 to 14 new kindergarten teachers and use five portable classrooms. The district needs desks and classroom materials for the new classrooms spaces, as well.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)