The Hollister School District voted last week to reduce
kindergarten class sizes to a 20 to 1 student-teacher ratio
– a move that Interim Superintendent Ron Crates believes will
encourage more parents to put their children in public kindergarten
programs after recent declines in enrollment.
Hollister – The Hollister School District voted last week to reduce kindergarten class sizes to a 20 to 1 student-teacher ratio – a move that Interim Superintendent Ron Crates believes will encourage more parents to put their children in public kindergarten programs after recent declines in enrollment.
“It’s excellent news that the Hollister School District is bringing class sizes back to 20 to 1,” said County Superintendent of Schools Tim Foley. “It makes the district very attractive to local families. Our public schools can match any private kindergarten or day care program.”
Currently, HSD operates its kinder classes under Option B of the State Class Size Reduction Act. This means that for about an hour and a half every day – out of a three-and-half-hour school day – upwards of 35 students occupy a class at a time.
The resolution passed by trustees at last week’s board meeting will revert to Option A, which was used two years ago, ensuring that students will be in a smaller class virtually all day.
“HESTA is very excited about the school district’s switch to 20 to 1,” said Hollister Elementary School Teachers Association President Jan Grist. “It’s a win-win situation for the district, teachers and students.”
This move will cost the district about $320,000 in salaries for new kindergarten teachers, assuming they all start at the bottom of the pay scale.
Crates believes, however, that the investment will more than pay for itself over time. Currently, approximately 100 fewer students are enrolling in HSD kindergarten classes than they have in previous years. Officials believe this is because parents are either opting not to send their children to school or are sending students to private institutions for the first few years of their education. Once students have enrolled in a school, however, they are more likely to stay there, which results in increased state funding for the district every additional year that a student attends.
“We’re offering what our competitors offer, what every other district has,” Crates said. “Smaller class sizes are a benefit to our students. And if they come back later, that benefits the district as well.”
Last week, a budget resolution was also passed that enabled the district to halt deficit spending and will put HSD in the black, but did include cuts to nine first-year teaching positions at the elementary school level. Ideally, however, these teachers will be able to teach a kinder class instead, but depending upon the type of credential they hold, this may not be feasible.
Though it was not part of the class size resolution passed last week, the district hopes that the new ratio will free up kindergarten teachers to help with after school intervention work for students in the fourth and fifth grades where class sizes are especially big – sometimes topping 38 students. Some teachers expressed their disapproval of the idea at the board meeting however, and trustees implied that they were hesitant of going forward with the idea without first getting more input from employees.
“Look at the logistics,” Crates said. “Our business is to help kids learn, and I think most, if not all teachers want to help in any way they can.”
Crates also called for a study of a full or extended day program for kindergarten students, which means kinder students would be spending about as much time in class as students in grades one through five. Should the district choose this option, kinder teachers would not be expected to work in upper grade intervention.
Proponents of extended day kindergarten say it’s an effective way to boost achievement in line with increasingly stringent state standards and ensure that art and social skills get enough class time. They say it helps out parents who work and need their children supervised longer, as well.
“This is also a very exciting move,” Foley said. “Full-day kindergarten is a trend throughout the state, and Hollister School District is stepping up to the plate with enthusiasm.”
Kindergarten registration is taking place March 6 through March 10 at all local elementary schools. Call your neighborhood school or the district office at 630-6300 for more information.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or ds****@fr***********.com
