By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — With six new administrators in place, students are heading back to classes today at all of the city's public schools.

All students, from kindergarten through grade 12 are scheduled to report to school today. There is a full day of classes for all grades with the exception of kindergarten, where students are required to attend a one-hour orientation.
According to School Department officials, at today's orientation, kindergarten students will be given appointments to participate in a short screening session on either Wednesday, Sept. 2 or Thursday, Sept. 3. They will then begin a full day class schedule on Friday, Sept. 4.
All of the city's 10 elementary schools now have full-day kindergarten in place. Last year, all but two of the elementary schools, Potter-Burns and Curtis, had such programs due to the their populations meeting the guidelines for Title One funding for low income families.
Money was budgeted this year and approved by the School Committee to make the all-day program available district wide.
Schools Supt. Hans Dellith said there are no big changes awaiting students this year, with the exception of five new principals and one new assistant principal.
Among those recently appointed to principal posts are Paul Zona at the Virginia Cunningham Elementary School, Jean Friend who moved from the Agnes E. Little Elementary School  to the Flora S. Curtis Elementary School, Janet Griffith at the Curvin-McCabe Elementary School and Mary Murray a former literacy coach for the school district who is now heading up the Agnes E. Little School.
Additionally, Darrell Luffborough, a former principal at Virginia Cunningham Elementary School, has been named principal of Slater Junior High School, and Debra Westgate-Silva, a former literacy coach in the school district, is serving as assistant principal.
Dellith said that many of the school buildings have undergone repairs, the most substantial of which was at Jenks Junior High School, where a new tile floor has been installed. As to the numbers of students enrolled, Dellith said it is too early to tell and an estimate will be provided following the flurry of registrations that typically occur during the first two weeks of school.
Deputy Supt. Kimberly Mercer said that another new feature that is being widely promoted this year on the Pawtucket School Department's  web site is a computer portal for parents of secondary school students called “E-Parent.”
Mercer said that by filling out some pertinent data, parents or guardians of junior high and high school students will be able to log in and see their children's homework assignments, quiz and test grades, attendance, class average and other related information. The forms to sign up for the “E-Parent” web site will be sent home shortly for parents or guardian to fill out, she added.
Dellith noted that the school budget for the coming year—which is estimated to contain a deficit of around $8.4 million-- is “obviously a major concern.” “We're proceeding cautiously, because we have very few resources. We keep watching every penny that we can spend,” he stated.
Dellith added, however, that the Pawtucket School District “has one of the lowest expenditures, per pupil, in the state.”