A. It is the intent of the Legislature to provide a free public kindergarten for every five-year-old child in this state.

B. Each day during which a child attends a kindergarten for two and one-half (2 1/2) hours or more shall be counted as one hundred percent (100%) of one (1) day of average daily attendance. Each day a kindergarten student is on the membership roll in a school district shall be counted as one hundred percent (100%) of one (1) day of average daily membership.

C. It shall be the duty of every school district in this state to provide and offer kindergarten free of tuition for every child residing in the district who attains the age of five (5) years on or before the first day of September during the school year such kindergarten is offered. The duty to provide and offer kindergarten may be satisfied by transferring kindergarten children to other school districts which accept them and provide kindergarten for such children, or by contracting for classroom space with a licensed public or licensed private child care provider based upon selection criteria established by the district.

D. A kindergarten program may be offered jointly by school districts that have formed interlocal cooperative agreements pursuant to Section 5-117b of this title.

E. Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, it shall be the duty of every school district in this state to provide and offer a full six-hour day of kindergarten free of tuition for every child residing in the district who attains the age of five (5) years on or before the first day of September during the school year kindergarten is offered. The duty to provide and offer kindergarten may be satisfied by intra-district transfer to a school offering full-day kindergarten, by transferring kindergarten children to other school districts which will accept them and can provide kindergarten for such children, or by contracting for classroom space with a licensed public or licensed private child care provider based upon selection criteria established by the district. A school district shall be exempt from the provisions of this subsection if the school district has voted indebtedness through the issuance of bonds or approval by voters of issuance of new bonds for more than eighty-five percent (85%) of the maximum allowable, pursuant to the provisions of Section 26 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution, at any time within the previous five (5) years.

F. The requirement to attend kindergarten provided in Section 10-105 of this title may be satisfied by attendance in either a half-day or full-day program. Membership in a kindergarten for either two and one-half (2 1/2) hours or six (6) hours per school day shall be counted as one (1) day for average daily membership purposes. For purposes of State Aid, the pupil grade level weight for a two-and-one-half-hour day of kindergarten shall be 1.3, and for a six-hour full day of kindergarten shall be 1.5.

Added by Laws 1971, c. 305, § 8, emerg. eff. June 17, 1971. Amended by Laws 1974, c. 20, § 1, emerg. eff. April 8, 1974; Laws 1981, c. 347, § 22, eff. July 1, 1981; Laws 1994, c. 220, § 3, eff. July 1, 1995; Laws 1999, c. 355, § 1, eff. July 1, 1999; Laws 2000, c. 6, § 19, emerg. eff. March 20, 2000; Laws 2001, c. 201, § 4; Laws 2003, c. 434, § 24; Laws 2005, c. 432, § 9, eff. July 1, 2005; Laws 2011, c. 345, § 1.

NOTE: Laws 1999, c. 320, § 53 repealed by Laws 2000, c. 6, § 33, emerg. eff. March 20, 2000. Laws 2001, c. 5, § 64 repealed by Laws 2001, c. 414, § 15, eff. Aug. 23, 2001.