Fitting in all-day kindergarten is like a jigsaw puzzle for the Bismarck public schoolsystem.

Administrators outlined possible plans to make it work for the 2007-08 school year at the Bismarck School Board meeting Monday.

The plan involves remodeling, use of portables and leasing space so that nine additional elementary schools can offer all-day, everyday kindergarten.

School districts are scrambling to get all-day kindergarten in place because of extra funding from the state promised in a law that overhauled school finance. Part of that law provides full per-pupil funding per kindergarten student instead of the current half payment.

Bismarck already offers all-day kindergarten in six elementary schools because of federal funding. Those schools are Myhre, Will-Moore, Saxvik, Roosevelt and Moses.

The other schools will need to make space for all-day kindergarten. Pioneer, Grimsrud, Highland Acres and Prairie Rose have room to accommodate extra classes, while Murphy, Centennial, Northridge, Solheim and Miller do not.

Assistant Superintendent Fran Rodenburg outlined the proposal for accommodating all-day, everyday kindergarten in the district. Solheim and Miller involve minor remodeling. At Solheim, this involves moving a resource room, and at Miller it means moving a counselor who is in a classroom space.

Portable classrooms at Centennial and Murphy would free up space in the school for kindergarten. Centennial would need up to two portables, depending on enrollment, and Murphy would need up to three, depending on enrollment. The cost per portable is $65,000 to $75,000, depending on whether the district gets a waiver on permanent foundations.

The leased space would be for Northridge Elementary School. The district is talking with Corpus Christi, a church near the school, about leasing four classrooms and using the kitchen and gym. The leased space would be for a grade other than kindergarten. Rodenburg said all the sixth grades would be moved because of the way the classes interact. Northridge Principal Bobby Olson said no decision has been made on the grade that would be moved.

In addition to space, the district also needs about 13 to 14 teaching positions and supplies for additional classrooms.

The district has 759 kindergarten students this year, which is the number used to determine kindergarten funding. In Bismarck this is about $1.26 million in additional funding.

Even though the district plans to offer all-day, everyday kindergarten, it does not make it mandatory. The district will not offer half-day programs, but parents can bring their children for half-days, if needed, Superintendent Paul Johnson said. Between Johnson and Rodenburg, they have had about six parents request a half-day program for next year.

The district administration will develop a cost analysis on implementing all-day kindergarten and present it at the first meeting in December.

The board hopes to have a plan finalized in time for kindergarten enrollment, which starts in January.

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