03/28/2024
Spread the love

A bill in the legislature that seeks to change class size requirements for the 2017-18 school year for grades K-3 could have  unintended consequences in Bladen County and elsewhere if the bill is approved, said Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor. House Bill 13 titled Class Size Requirement Changes calls for the average class in Kindergarten through third grade not to exceed the funded allotment ratio of teachers to students for those grades.

The proposed bill sets the recommended class size per teacher in each grade level through third grade as follows:

*For kindergarten, one teacher per 18 students.

*For first grade, one teacher per 16 students.

*For second grade, one teacher per 17 students.

*For third grade, one teacher per 17 students.

*In grades four through 12, the bill allows maximum flexibility to school districts to utilize their teacher allotment in the manner necessary to maximize “student achievement.”

Dr. Taylor said the bill also notes that the maximum class size cannot exceed the allotment by more that three students and by second month school the number students cannot exceed the allotment ratio by more than six students.

Dr. Taylor said the state uses a funding formula to determine the teacher allotments for each school district each year based on the enrollment at each grade level. If the proposed bill is adopted, Dr. Taylor said that it could mean a school district would have to go back and hire additional teachers in order to reduce the class size.

Dr. Taylor said locally, the legislation would have the biggest impact on Elizabethtown Primary, Bladenboro Primary and Dublin Primary schools. He said those schools have class sizes close to 25 students and are cramped for space. “There are no extra classrooms at these schools,” said Dr. Taylor.

He said that there is a compromise being worked out in the legislature that would take the class size to 24 students, but that still does not resolve the entire issue. Dr. Taylor said in the case of Elizabethtown Primary School, if the bill is enacted, it would require making changes in the configuration of the  building and possibly adding modular units at other locations. Another implication is the potential for having to hire more teacher assistants and teachers. He said it could also meaning losing an art, PE or music class and instead using that teacher in a kindergarten class or a third grade class room to help in meeting the new class size requirement.

“This will impact every single district in North Carolina,” said Dr. Taylor. He said the bill would create an unfunded mandate that would require the hiring of more teachers with no additional funding. For example, Dr. Taylor said that four teachers would cost about $200,00 in salary and benefits and four modular units could potentially cost $120,000. That does not include the costs if the district has to also  hire additional teacher assistants for new Kindergarten classes.

Dr. Taylor said that the schools have asked the legislature not to adopt House Bill 13 at this time and leave the class size mandates at their current levels. “The best scenario for us is to leave it as it is. While we all appreciate smaller classes, smaller classes don’t always translate to better learning,” said Dr. Taylor.

He added that the state is currently reviewing the funding formula and the school districts would prefer waiting on class size changes until the legislature completes its work with the funding formula. Dr. Taylor said, while a new formula is about one to two years away, a new formula could bring about big changes in how much state funding schools receive. He said that another funding option being debated is the possibility of creating some type of block grants for school districts. Dr. Taylor said that the issue with grants is determining how to maintain equity between low wealth districts and their wealthier counterparts.

About Author