In a statement released on Friday, the District explained that its budget, passed last week by the School Reform Commission, allotted funding for half-day only kindergarten.
The District went on to say that Superintendent Dr. Arlene Ackerman sought and received permission from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to use Title I funding to supplement next year's budget.
The district says that additional funding will be sufficient to allow it to offer full-day kindergarten.
"In my career other districts have used Title I dollars to fund kindergarten," said Ackerman in the statement released by the district. "And although that was not originally an option here, I'm thankful that we were able to find a way to make this work for the benefit of our students."
The School District also said it met with officials from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to discuss financing options to restore TransPasses for nearly 60,000 students. School officials say progress is being made.
The School District of Philadelphia faces an unprecedented budget gap of nearly $630 million.
In March, Governor Corbett proposed a budget to reduce Commonwealth provided funding to the District by $292 million. Of that $292 million was the elimination of the full Accountability Block Grant worth $55 million.
For the past ten years the District has used that grant to fund kindergarten programs. Recognizing the importance of kindergarten on future education outcomes, the District says it reallocated funds to provide a half-day program, in its initial budget.
