Tuscan School parents raised concerns about third grade class size at the Monday, June 15 South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education meeting.
Speaking for a group of parents, Ronni Schwartz noted that Tuscan School is expected to reduce class sections next year in third grade from six to five. Overall, said Schwartz, Tuscan is likely to see 29 classes overall decrease to 27 in September 2015.
“Cramming 130-plus children into five sections at Tuscan will not set anyone up for success,” said Schwartz, “not students not teachers.” The district cap for class size is 24 in third grade, according to Tuscan parents, whose letter is below; the changes, they said, would mean “25 or 26 children in a classroom.”
Earlier in the meeting, Acting Superintendent James Memoli addressed class size, noting that the administration is aware of parent concerns. “We are watching class sizes very carefully,” he said. He noted that registration for school is still open and encouraged parents to “register as soon as possible so we can make appropriate arrangements.”
Read the full Tuscan parents letter here:
Dear Mr. Memoli, Ms. Schneider and Board of Education members,
I am a parent of a rising 3rd grader at Tuscan School and have a younger daughter who will enter Kindergarten in the fall of 2016. I am extremely disturbed at the recent news that the number of total class sections at Tuscan may be decreased from 29 to 27 and that the six sections of rising 3rd graders are intended to be reduced to five. As you know, the maximum per policy for 3rd grade is 24 students. That is already too many children per class for an ideal learning environment, but increasing the 3rd grade classes to 25 or 26 is unacceptable. Third grade is a pivotal year academically; there are significantly greater academic expectations of the children, and sufficient attention from their teacher is critical.
I know other parents have written to you as well and I hope you are listening: our children need sufficient individual attention from their teachers. Cramming 130-plus children into five sections of 3rd grade at Tuscan in the 2015-2016 school year will not set anyone up for success – not our children and not our valued teachers. Teaching in small groups, doing guided reading, keeping all children involved and understanding during math instruction, fostering an exciting learning environment – these are all extremely important things that suffer with larger class sizes. Many concerned parents have been sharing the recent article by Valerie Strauss in The Washington Post that provides more information about the perils of larger class sizes. I’ve attached a link here for you: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/class-size-matters-a…/).
Although limiting kindergarten enrollment is far from ideal, I believe that was done last year and that it helped to some degree. I do not have all of the answers, but I would be glad to join with the board and administration to consider alternatives. I know other parents are willing to collaborate as well; we have an incredibly resourceful and caring community. I attended the Town Hall meeting last week to discuss the recent events at MMS and CHS and heard that supporting our students – those who struggle and those who are thriving – is paramount.
In conclusion, we absolutely must keep 29 class sections at Tuscan, including six sections of 3rd grade in 2015-2016, to keep each class below the district cap of 24 students per class. We need to be finding ways to better connect with children and support their developmental, social and emotional needs, not cutting corners and making do. Teachers must have the time and capacity to attend to all the children in their class to provide structure and guidance in addition to teaching instruction and they simply cannot do so effectively when the class is too big.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Ronni Schwartz
