Class size victim of budget
Facing their own financial crises amid the state's budget crunch, most of California's largest school districts are increasing class sizes in kindergarten through third grade, eroding the most expensive education reform in the state's history. California Watch in the Daily News.
California Watch surveyed the 30 largest K-12 districts in the state and found that many schools are pushing classroom enrollment to 24 students in some or all of the primary grades. Other districts have raised class sizes to 30 students - reverting to levels not seen in more than a decade.
In cash-strapped Los Angeles Unified, each of the district's 524 elementary schools could choose between retaining all their teachers and keeping class sizes low - or laying off teachers and retaining support staff such as nurses, math coaches and "intervention coordinators."
1 Comments
Leave a comment
About The
Sausage Factory
Los Angeles Daily News City Hall reporter Rick Orlov writes about politics on the local, state and national stage.
A number of California districts have had to break out class size between the different grade levels K-3, 4-5 gr, 6-8 gr, 9-12 gr due to the law to get the K-3 to class sizes to 20. Twenty almost seems like a luxury we can not longer afford. This has had a significant impact on the rest of the class sizes. Many 4- 12 classes have been way above 30 kids. Should we have 36 kids in an 8th grade Algebra class. Unfortunately we need to balance and the various rules on calculating class size can make the conversation complicated. We may need to go to 24 kids in elementary to keep 6-12 from 40 kids. Mr. Orlov could you provide some perspective on national class size averages by elementary, middle/junior and high school. I am a newly involved parent.