Concerns regarding elementary school class sizes

Several parents have expressed concerns about the possibility that some elementary school class sizes may increase next year. Their comments are below.

Community Feedback:

I would like to voice my support for the plan that the elementary administration has recommended to the Board regarding class sizes for next year. The research most solidly supports reducing class size in the early elementary grades. Benefits from reductions in upper elementary are not as certain. Furthermore, the benefit of reductions in the early elementary grades have been shown to have lasting impacts on students after they have left low class size classrooms. It would be great to have all the elementary class sizes at or less than 20 students.
However, this is an extremely expensive proposition, and the Board must keep in mind that taxes are high and the budget may get voted down if a large increase is put forth. I would not vote against such a budget, but I think there are many people in the community who would vote against it. The administration and the Board must act in the best interests of all the students in the school and with fiscal concerns in mind. These are difficult decisions, but if we look at the objective of making the best educational decisions for the whole school of students, and making the best investment for the money (based on research evidence), I think it is clear that the administration's plan is a prudent one.

Community Feedback:

I am writing to express my interest/concern with the budget information as it relates to class size. It is my understanding that the precedent in our district has been that once it is determined that an elementary grade requires five (5) sections to meet their needs; the class size will be maintained throughout the time the children are in elementary school. Certainly this was what I heard the administration say when the current 4th grade was allowed an extra room to reduce class size when the children were entering 3rd grade. Yet, the proposed budget again seeks to compress this group of students currently in the 4th grade (the largest grade in the elementary school with the highest percentage of special education children) into four (4) large sections next year. I renew the concerns that I have expressed over the past 4 years regarding behavior management and learning strategies that are hampered by larger class sizes with this group of students. I am also concerned about the impact the proposed changes will have on the current 2nd grade which is the second largest grade in the school with the second largest percentage of special education students and the highest percentage of AIS (Academic Intervention Services) students. I appreciate the impact of the new AIS program on the district and support smaller class sizes (especially in 1st grade) to accommodate the new mandated changes. However, I want the board to consider the impact of removing assistance from groups that have already been determined to need to have their class sizes maintained, in order to address needs in other groups.

Thank you for your attention to and continued discussion of this issue.

Community Feedback:

I am disappointed to hear that the Budget includes only four teachers for next years fifth grade. This will increase class sizes to unacceptable numbers. With the highest number of students and the highest number of students with special needs - Why are we not staying with the 5 class model that has been so successful for this group? I hope you will revisit this issue in the months ahead and make the necessary adjustment.

Community Feedback:

I am writing to you to voice my concerns on the projected class sizes for 2008 and the impact that this may have on my children. I have a 2nd and 4th grader at the elementary school and they are currently having a wonderful year. My daughter is in the 2nd grade with a new teacher, Maribeth Bernarde. She is a fabulous addition to your staff. My daughter is doing well in her class and is enjoying this year immensely. My son is a student in the 4th grade. Scott Murray, his teacher, has helped my son achieve a great deal of success this year. In our opinion he is the best teacher we have ever experienced at Voorheesville Elementary School. Not only is my son excelling, but we have observed that his confidence is at an all time high. My husband and I could not be happier with the results that Mr. Murray and Mrs. Farrell have obtained.

Based on the success we have experienced this past year, I am very concerned upon hearing that both of my children will be broken down into 4 classrooms next year instead of the 5 classrooms we currently have. The current 4th grade not only has the highest number of students, it also has the highest percentage of students requiring special education. I have sent a letter with my concerns to Mr. Lein. Although he appreciated my concerns, he could not answer all of my questions satisfactorily. I am extremely concerned about my son. I think that 25 students per class with half of the students requiring special needs is too great of a teacher to student ratio. I am worried that it will be difficult for my son to receive the attention that he requires. Third grade is when things really start getting difficult and I'm worried about my daughter not getting what she needs, as well. I really think that is an enormous load to put on your teachers with unrealistic expectations.

I hope that when making the decision to put the extra teachers next year in primary grades, you keep my concerns in mind. I really think that you will be making the classes too large and ultimately affect the testing scores that represent the district.

We have had a phenomenal year and my kids and their teachers have worked very hard. These kids deserve better than what is being proposed in terms of class size.

Community Feedback:

We are writing to you to voice our concern about the upcoming budget plan for the projected 2008-2009 school year and also the impact it will have on classroom size and the education of our four children.
We are also the parents of (names and grade levels of students deleted for confidentiality purposes).

Our children are receiving an excellent education through VCSD and we are amazed at the progress (student name) has made this year alone. We credit that progress to the amazing job Tim Mattison, and Lori Farrell have done with the wonderful support staff they have. We also contribute (student’s name)’s success this year to the smaller class size he is in. We could go on and on with the research studies and documentation (STAR and SAGE to name some), that already exists on how class size impacts the achievement of our children, but I am sure that you are aware of this.

(Student’s name)’s grade also has the highest percentage of special education students projected for next year. Can we ask you… Why would you increase the class size of the grade greatest in need for intervention and services? With the smaller class size there is more individualized attention, and it enables the teacher to intervene more effectively and help each student make progress.

Please keep in mind our concerns when you review this budget proposal. At last, as we see our son taking one step forward… it would be heartbreaking to see him fall two steps back.

Community Feedback:

The expanded class size proposed for next years 3rd and 5th grades is unacceptable There should absolutely be five classes in each grade 1st through 5th To condense the current 2nd graders and the current 4th graders from five into four classes next year is a step in the wrong direction for a school that wishes to keep its good standing as a school of excellence. As a parent of a 2nd, 4th, and 5th, grader I have seen the positive difference it makes in a child’s attitude, behavior, and academics when class sizes are smaller If just one child slips through the cracks in a class of 22 it will be one too many With the highest percentage of AIS, next years 3rd grade especially needs to have five classes the best possible student to teacher ratio to allow each child the attention they need.

Community Feedback

I just wanted to send you a quick note to express my concern regarding class size changes in the elementary school for next year.

Although I'm happy to hear about the reduced class sizes in the early grades, the increases for grades 3 and 5 concerns me. As you may know, I have a child in each of these classes. I really feel that having a fifth section of each has had a very positive impact this year.

In addition to being a teacher myself (Although, currently home with our 4 children.), I am in a family of educators. My father is a retired teacher and my three sisters are all teachers- as well as 2 of their husbands. As you can imagine, education is very often the topic of conversation when we talk or get together. This past weekend, while together for a family party, I was discussing the class size issue with some of them. My brother-in-law, currently an assistant principal in the Pine Bush School District, referred me to a recent study done by a district in Westchester county (Katonah-Lewisboro CSD). I have attached the study for you to review, if you are interested. I found the recommendations of the task force worthy of mentioning. If you notice, their current class sizes were not particularly large. However, after they completed all of their research, their recommendations were for even smaller classes at each level.

I can truly appreciate how many factors must go into decisions like this one. Still, I think that any issue that has such a direct impact on student learning must be of highest priority when it comes to making budgetary decisions. I am so grateful for the many benefits we enjoy in this school district and community. I do feel, however, that many of these things are the "icing on the cake" and that our very first priority is what happens each day in the classroom with our children and teachers. It becomes unfair to both of them if we create an environment which makes it more challenging for either group to be successful. As much as I don't wish to see cuts made in other areas, I think having the best teacher/student ratios at each grade level is especially important.

I don't know how many people have actually contacted you regarding this issue, but I do know that there are many parents expressing concern about it. I hope that enough voices have been heard to warrant revisiting the decisions that have been made. Thank you so much for your attention to this important issue.

Community Feedback

In BOE meetings and parent gatherings over the last year and half or more, I have been closely following discussions on class size in the Elementary School. Although I haven’t taken the opportunity to provide feedback following presentations at recent BOE meetings, I want to complement and support the administration on the presentations and planning regarding ES class sizes. In particular, based on extensive research regarding benefit to lower level grades, I encourage the plan to target the first and second grade classes for reduction in class size versus upper level classes in the ES. While it would be wonderful to be able to support reduced class sizes throughout the ES, I can understand how resources are limited in this regard. The decision to devote the available resources in reducing K-2 class size is strongly supported by quality research. I encourage the Board to continue to support the administration in this plan and evaluate applicable research (such as Tennessee’s STAR and follow-up studies, among others) if you have concerns about this plan.

The research discussed by Mr. Lein at recent meetings, and I believe additional research available but not discussed, strongly support the benefit of smaller class sizes for the lower grades (K-2) as compared to the higher grades (4-5). Research also strongly supports that the benefits of smaller class size at the lower levels as more likely to be maintained into the higher primary levels.

Finally, the addition of sections at the lower grades allows the smaller class size benefits to be evenly and consistently distributed to students within the district rather than providing one class with the benefit. When the administration identifies a specific need for higher grade levels to add a section to reduce size, the need and benefit can be considered by the administration and BOE on the merits of the situation. The decision should rest with the administration and BOE rather than be manipulated by a potentially biased and vocal group of parents considering and presenting only limited information on class size and special needs.

While I currently have a child in 3rd grade who will likely see a significant increase in class size next year as teaching staff are devoted to lower grades, the benefit to the entire District and children at critical development phase clearly out weighs a lesser (and less certain) benefit to older students and a limited set of class years. The increase in class size for our prospective 3rd grader is a reasonable outcome to benefit our younger children and the remainder of the District. Although some parents may be swayed by information provided by parents of classes potentially seeing a size increase, I believe a large, less active group of parents understand and support the administration in this endeavor.

If you have any desire to look at this issue in further detail and consider its merits, I encourage you to examine Tennessee’s STAR Project information or review a summary of class size research at the following link (which includes a summary of the STAR project): http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ReducingClass/Class_size.html.

While the summary at this site only includes research through 1999, I believe it is very relevant to the consideration of reducing K-2 class size, and is further supported by more recent research. The research summarized is a major effort on class size analysis and includes high quality, significant meta-analyses.

Thank you for your consideration and service to the District.

Community Feedback

I am writing to ask that the board reconsider the continuation of the additional teacher in those grades where the population is high. My 4th grader is very upset at the thought of a larger class size. She recognizes how beneficial it has been to her and her classmates to have less students in the class.

I completely understand the importance of adding the teaching help to the younger students to assist with AIS. I also work in a school district.

However, to take the extra teachers away from these kids who have been doing so well is a big concerns. Every parent I have spoken to would support the added staff in all of the elementary grades, even with an increase in school taxes. Please reconsider.

Many of us are hoping to attend the board meeting to support this, but there are also a good number of us who cannot attend due to prior commitments. We hope that you will note the number of emails, and community responses.

Thank you for your time.