School District 43 will be rolling out full-day kindergarten at 20 schools this fall after being awarded funding for 887 seats for the program.

But not all trustees are excited about the expansion of kindergarten for five-year-olds because of concerns that it will generate extra costs that won’t be funded by the provincial government.

With the district facing tough financial decisions in the wake of unanticipated budget pressures, trustees expressed concern full-day kindergarten might generate a host of new costs. How the district will pay for extra lunchtime supervision and special education assistants for children with special needs who might be at school longer were among the issues raised.

“I’m celebrating the initiative. I’m not sure about [the direction the government is taking]. It took the choice of not funding the way they should have,” Port Moody trustee Keith Watkins told trustees at a board of education meeting Tuesday.

His comments were echoed by board of education chair Melissa Hyndes, also a PoMo trustee, who suggested sending a letter to Education Minister Maureen McDiarmid to raise concerns about potential funding shortages for the program….