SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT DETAILS OVERCROWDED CLASSES

The issue of overcrowded classes at Maplewood Middle School and Columbia High School were raised at Monday night's school board meeting where Superintendent John Ramos said several classes are in violation of district policy.

"We are looking at class sizes at our middle schools, some classes are currently above the average class size range," Ramos said, referring to the policy that indicates most middle school classes should not exceed 25 students. "We are supporting ways to ameliorate these overages by possibly adding an additional team and/or adding a sixth period to some teachers schedules in order to reduce the class size."

This follows recent complaints by at least three Maplewood Middle School teachers that their classes topped 30 or 35 students. Newly appointed MMS principal Dara Gronau recently sent a letter to parents indicating that the seventh graders would have only two team leaders, a change from three previously assigned.

See that letter HERE. 

The letter blamed it on budget constraints. But a follow-up note to parents stated:

Good afternoon 7th grade families,
I worked with your HSA to clarify some of your questions/concerns about the 7th grade team change.  Ms. Sebastian began the school year performing the duties of a team leader. Our MMS administration hoped she would be given approval to continue in that role. We learned last week that the District did not approve the team leader stipend. As a result, Ms. Sebastian will not be a team leader, and we will have two team leaders in seventh grade. A few points:

• This change does not affect your child's class size.  Our schedule is not affected by who the team leader is in a given grade level.
• Your child's class schedule will not change.

But Business Administrator Paul Roth told Maplewoodian.com that the team leader change was a switch between grades. He said, in the past, the seventh grade had three team leaders and the 6th and 8th grades had two each. He said with a larger eighth grade this year, that grade now has three team leaders and the seventh grade has two.  

Ramos also noted that Columbia High School is within class-size range, but said 54 individual classes are above the upper limit, which is 30 students. He said that is "within the flexibility of board policy." 

The district policy indicates most CHS classes should not exceed 30 students, but states that the superintendent has the power to allow exceptions, which it appears is being done in those 54 classes. 

The policy states:

The Board acknowledges that building administrators require flexibility to respond to varying student needs and enrollments. The Board directs that individual classes not exceed the stated upperclass size range by more than five students.

No building administrator may exceed the upper class size limit indicated above without the express approval of the Superintendent who shall report same to the Board of Education at its next regularly scheduled meeting that the upper class size limit has been exceeded with a full explanation of the reason therefore, and what steps, if any, are being taken to alleviate the deviation from this policy

This, of course, follows the board's decision earlier this year to cut 11 teaching positions, including nine at the high school.

Ramos said the district will have a detailed class-size and enrollment report at the October meeting.