Class sizes likely to increase in 2010-11 budget

Written by Matt Dalen
Sunday, 25 October 2009 23:00

The number of students may be a tentative projection, but the Katonah-Lewisboro School District’s projected class sizes for next year give a bleak idea of what’s on the chopping block in the 2010-11 budget. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Roelle presented very early estimates of class sizes next year, with elementary classes in some cases topping 25 students.

Despite an overall decrease of 37 students — spread across all six schools — projected staff cuts would result in increases in several classes. The largest classes in several of the schools would likely be in the first grade — 23 students at Increase Miller and Meadow Pond, 24 at Katonah, and 25 at Lewisboro — and in the fourth grade at two schools, Increase Miller with 25 students and Meadow Pond with 26 students.

“We know we’re edging into territory that makes us uncomfortable,” Dr. Roelle told the school board. “We will need to leave our comfort zones.”

Dr. Roelle’s projection would involve the reduction of 3.5 teachers from this year, a small part of a likely large number of district layoffs in the upcoming budget. Dr. Roelle pointed out that, in order to achieve a nearly flat budget this year, about 40 positions were eliminated. While the board is not constrained to aiming for no increase to the budget, if the budget is voted down twice, it must adopt a contingency budget that is likely to be flat.

Class size wars

Earlier this year, parents in Meadow Pond Elementary School’s third grade waged an unsuccessful campaign to reduce that grade’s class size, which had reached 24, and eventually 25, students in two sections. The year before, those children had one more teacher, and were in classes of about 16 students. This is the same grade that is projected to reach 26 students next year. In previous years, other classes have prompted similar backlash from parents.

The district has been dealing with class sizes for years, and in 2007 the school board created a class size task force to look at all of the research on smaller classes. The task force recommended class size caps of 20 students in kindergarten through third grade and 22 students after that. In Dr. Roelle’s projections, 39 of the district’s 65 elementary school classrooms, not including kindergarten — or 60% — would be higher than these guidelines by at least one student. These numbers, however, are still within the district’s mandated class size caps, of 25 in kindergarten through second grade, 28 in the third grade, and 30 in the fourth and fifth grades.