Elementary school principals practically leapt from their chairs Monday after a unanimous school board decision sent them rushing to the phones.
According to district spokeswoman Anita Banach, the principals were eager to call teachers the board agreed to recall from layoff.
The decision came after an Aug. 18 report to the board suggested some elementary classrooms would have more than 30 students when the first bell rings next week.
‘I don’t think there’s an educator in their right mind who would say that’s a good number,? said Superintendent Al Roberts, recommending the board approve funds to bring back the equivalent of six full time positions. ‘We’ll still have a few pockets that need additional aides, but it happens every year, it’s not unusual.?
Roberts was careful to point out, however, while the six positions will reduce the strain on overloaded teachers, classes still shouldn’t be classified as ‘small.?
Some classes are big enough for teachers to need help, but too small to justify adding another teacher, he said, noting most of the problem sections would still have a student headcount in the mid to upper 20s.
But the problem isn’t unique in Clarkston; parents checking into neighboring schools would find comparable class sizes, Roberts said. said.
Although the board’s decision Monday will alleviate at least the heaviest overloads this year, it’s not a problem likely to go away any time soon.
‘Obviously class size is going to go higher and higher as budget cuts force more and more teacher cuts,? said Stephen Hyer, school board president, in a follow-up phone call. ‘We’re going to do what we can to keep class size as low as possible in the future, but given the real-world financial constraints of the state’they’re not giving us per student increases that keep pace with inflation’class sizes will likely inch up.?
Hyer said the district has already made ‘easy cuts? such as eliminating conferences, professional development and other expenditures not directly affecting classrooms.
Soon, he said, the need to reduce spending will likely result in the need to reduce the district’s teaching staff.
Roberts also told the board he felt it was important to fix the problems before students arrive at school Sept. 2, therefore avoiding shuffling once students begin settling in.
And, while the district’s upper grades were also facing staff shortages, Roberts said he was more concerned with class sizes at elementary schools.
‘We need to focus on getting kids through (primary grades) in good shape so we don’t end up in remediation later,? he said.
More than 25 students in a classroom ‘make matters difficult? for the teacher, he said, and more than 30 cause parents to get ‘fidgety? about the quality of services their children will receive.
Still, he told the board, ‘lots of holes? exist in related research, and smaller classes don’t benefit students unless teachers change the way they operate in the classroom.
After looking at the numbers, Roberts said the cost of bringing on enough aids to offset the problem as opposed to bringing on more teachers was ‘a no-brainer.?
‘Teachers are highly trained, while aids are not,? he told the board at the Aug. 18 meeting. ‘I’m already nervous about instruction of (received by) our paraprofessionals in special ed.?
A paraprofessional’also known as classroom aids or teacher assistants’work under direct supervision of a professional, such as a certified teacher.
But during the Aug. 18 meeting, Trustee Joan Patterson said her experience talking with parents of private school students always leads back to the same question.
‘The number one reason they don’t go into public school is class size,? she said. ‘They know the education is good, but they kept coming back to ‘how large is your class size??
Patterson also said recent changes left her feeling it was even more important to refrain from overburdening teachers.
‘With all that we’re asking teachers to do I would feel better if we had a plan in place to support them,? she said, but did not return a follow-up call seeking clarification.
And while Cheryl McGinnis, school board vice president, said she believes teachers are always a better option than paraprofessionals when funds permit.
The number of students in a classroom, however, is best determined on a case-by-case basis depending on student needs and teacher ability.
‘It goes both ways,? she said. ‘Some teachers can handle a diverse, difficult group of kids at high numbers, and some teachers can’t. I think a lot of Clarkston teachers can handle high numbers; but does that mean its fair to push them to the highest number of students we can? I don’t think that’s what we want to do.?
Given the district’s current financial ability to put necessary teachers back in the classroom, McGinnis said she was not unhappy about the situation.
We as a board, administrators and teachers work very hard to make ours a school district parents want to bring their kids to,? she said. ‘If we really do have an increase in enrollment once school starts, for me that says there’s a value in Clarkston schools.?
It’s a good affirmation to the board that we’re doing a good job, but also an affirmation to the community that this is a good place to live and a good place to educate your kids.?