Education

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The state's youngest kindergartners - some of whom don't turn 5 years old until two months into the school year - would have to wait an extra year to start classes under new legislation being proposed in Sacramento.

The legislation, SB 1381 by Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, would require all incoming kindergartners to be 5 years old by Sept. 1.

That's two months earlier than the state's current Dec. 2 cut-off date, one of the latest in the nation.

Simitian - along with local school officials, policy experts and education advocates - says the change could be a "win-win-win" because kindergartners will be better prepared to succeed.

In addition, the move would save the state an estimated $700 million in annual education spending because there would be fewer children in school - and half of those funds would go toward preschool programs for kids who have to wait another year before starting kindergarten.

The other half would go toward alleviating the state's continuing budget shortfall.