Class sizes at local high schools are up from past years despite
a building moratorium in Hollister.
Some classes have gone from 20 students last year to 35 this
year at San Benito High School. Almost doubling the number of
students has some teachers up in arms about the impact it has on
student achievement.
Class sizes at local high schools are up from past years despite a building moratorium in Hollister.
Some classes have gone from 20 students last year to 35 this year at San Benito High School. Almost doubling the number of students has some teachers up in arms about the impact it has on student achievement.
“I know I do better with 20 students than with 35. I know I’m a better teacher (with 20 students),” said Clete Bradford, a math teacher at SBHS.
School-wide, the student-to-teacher ratio at SBHS is 23:1. Last year, the ratio was 20.8:1.
The ratio is high partly because the school was not anticipating a growth of more than 170 students from last year, said Duane Morgan, interim principal of SBHS.
“It looks like the (enrollment) numbers are going to stay,” he said. Usually, enrollment numbers drop as the school year proceeds.
Also, the school started up an Independent Study Program, which is bringing a lot of students back to SBHS, Morgan said.
Smaller class sizes are found in special education classes – the smallest has two students at SBHS. Bigger class sizes tend to be in physical education – the largest is 62 at SBHS.
Freshman English and math took a jump this year at SBHS because SBHS officials decided not to participate in the state’s class-size reduction program, which lowers class sizes in particular freshman classes, Morgan said. The state program only partially funds the 20:1 student-teacher ratio, with schools paying for the rest. Freshman English is averaging 35.1 students per class and Algebra I is at 34.5.
“It cost us a lot more to have it (class-size reduction) than not to,” Morgan said. “It’s really nice to have 20:1 ratios – you get to know your kids really well, but I think a teacher is going to be a good teacher whether or not the ratio is 20:1.”
SBHS would have to spend $130,000 in addition to the state funding to get freshman class sizes to 20:1, said Jean Burns Slater, superintendent of the SBHS District. Slater did not see a difference in freshmen grades compared to sophomore grades. Also, the district had to make the decision when the extent of the 2003-04 budget cuts were unknown and feared, Slater said.
Because enrollment numbers are not decreasing like expected, SBHS officials decided to hire more teachers – for Algebra I, P.E., social studies and sophomore and senior English, Morgan said.
Anzar High School’s class sizes are also larger than last year. Class sizes are up about four students per section, Anzar Director Charlene McKowen estimated.
Broken down by subject, student-teacher ratios are 20:1 in history; 24:1 in English; 31:1 in science; 27:1 in math; 26:1 in Spanish; and 17:1 in electives, according to McKowen. Ratios for P.E. were not available.
Class-size reduction funding in grades k-3 is popular and important to people throughout the state because research proves its success. Not much research is available to support the success of low student-teacher ratios in high school.
“20:1 didn’t help student success. It’s good for interaction, but not the overall performance of students,” Morgan said. “For k-3, the research shows that that works.”
But, teachers argue that the SBHSD has more than $1 million carrying over from last school year that could be spent on hiring more teachers to lower class sizes.
“There’s over $1 million being carried over and another $1.1 million more revenue coming in this year than previously thought.” Bradford said. “Why isn’t this money going to the kids?”
