The Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee agreed to take the question of universal all-day kindergarten to the voters at the annual town meetings — and to budget accordingly.

The panel voted unanimously Feb. 15 to separate the $765,000 start-up cost for the program and place it on the towns’ warrants apart from the school budget line, leaving how to pay for it up to the towns as well. The wording of the articles still needs to be worked out.

Whitman would be asked for 55.34 percent, or about $429,000, of the start-up costs and Hanson 44.66 percent, or about $336,000 based on a division by population and enrolllment.

“It’s our job as a committee to educate people on the value of full-day kindergarten,” said Committee member William Egan of Whitman.

“The key is when you separate it out, it doesn’t affect [town] operating budgets,” sand member Christopher Powers of Whitman. “Usually where the opposition comes from is when you get it and they don’t.”

With no changes made in district spending patterns over the current fiscal year, the FY 2013 budget would increase by 2.16 percent, according to Superintedent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner.

“That’s merely budgeting for some contingency for negotiations and the steps and any other fixed cost increases that may have to be included in the budget by contract,” she said.

Factors adding to the budget include fixed costs and substitute teachers are costing more. Reductions in staffing due to enrollment changes such as a $15,971 cut to support staff at the high school help, but changes to Chapter 70 reimbursements and charter school assessments added money to the budget.

“One of the things we wanted to bring to the committee tonight was a different way of looking at the full-day kindergarten,” Gilbert-Whitner said, expressing concern over including the start-up cost in an already tight budget. “There has been a proposal to separate the full-day kindergarten vote out of the budget so that taxpayers would have the opportunity of looking at the cost of full-day kindergarten separate from the operating budget.”

After the first year, the cost of the program would be reduced, and could improve the district’s per-pupil costs, Gilbert-Whitner said.

Town administrators Frank Lynam of Whitman and René Read of Hanson have both indicated they are receptive to such an approach, according to Business Services Director Sharon Andrew. She said Read and Lynam have expressed concerns that they would not be able to fund the program as part of the school budget without affecting other department lines, even though they support the idea of full-day kindergarten.

But it would be the only override issue from the schools on the Town Meeting warrants.

“If it didn’t pass, there would not be full-day kinderarten” she said. But the current tuition-based all-day kindergarten program would continue. Special Education Coordinator Mildred O’Callaghan said that has created a fairness issue separating families who can afford the tuition, or even the part not covered by district scholarships, from those who cannot.

“It’s really going to be in the hands of the townspeople whether to vote full-day kindergarten or not,” Andrew said who said she has been hearing from people who once opposed it, but now favor such a program. “It will be up to the School Committee to show people the research as far as what the benefits are.”

Committee member Robert O’Brien of Hanson asked what would happen if the town votes went in opposite directions. Gilbert-Whitner replied that both towns would have to approve to go forward with universal all-day kindergarten, but a super town meeting to settle the matter could be requested by the School Committee.

“That would be your call,” she said. “But I think  that would create an even worse situation if that happened.”

Egan said it was a good move to include the voters in deciding what kind of education they want to provide the district’s children.

“I think we need to be prepared to give people options,” he said. “We should try to put the competitive advantage back into our school system making the towns of Whitman and Hanson more desirable places to live, increasing home values and start building up some of these vacant businesses and small businesses.”

There is also a concern over a $1,744,122 shortfall, whether or not full-day kindergarten is passed or whether town assessments stay the same or go up as much as 3 percent. A 0-percent increase would mean the $1,744,122 shortfall and a 3-percent increase would bring it down to a $1,276,871 shortfall.

There is just about $1 million in resserves. Last year, when the budget was approved there was $1.6 million left in reserves and half that was used to balance the fiscal 2012 budget, Gilbert-Whitner said. The continued tight budgets have meant those funds have not been replenished, she added.

“That may also have an effect on our bond rating,” Andrew said of the reserves situation.