Local News

District added 24 educators to meet class size

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Marc Valero | Highlands Today
Published: December 19, 2012

SEBRING - The Highlands County School District faced its toughest challenge this year: meeting the state's class size requirements after the district saw its first enrollment increase in five years.

The district's enrollment has dropped each year since 2007-08, for a total decrease of 396 students. But on the first day of school in August, enrollment was up by 73 students compared to a year ago.

"We had a lot of work to do to meet it (class size)," Cox said. "I met with each principal individually and we reviewed it class by class, period by period."

Sometimes the class size numbers were in compliance one week, but then by the next week additional personnel was needed to meet the requirements, he said.

To stay in compliance, Cox added nine elementary teachers and 15 certified teacher assistants.

Last year he added only about two to three teachers and one certified teacher assistant, Cox noted.

"With our growth this year, it was very difficult," he told the school board recently.

There have been many people who monitor the enrollment and class size numbers, such as the data operators at the school level and Lottie Brown at the district level, who works with principals.

"I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to meet it because literally you have to meet it period by period and class by class," Cox said.

About 20 districts were not able to meet the class size limits, he said.

The constitutional amendment passed in 2002 capped classes at 18 students in kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade and 25 in high school.

In 2011, the Legislature approved a class size flexibility provision that states if a district school board determines that it is impractical, educationally unsound or disruptive to student learning, students may be temporarily assigned to a class that exceeds the maximums cited above.

The flexibility allows up to three students above the maximum assigned to a teacher in kindergarten though third grade and up to five students above the maximum assigned to a teacher in grades four through 12. This raises the limits from 18 to 21 in kindergarten through third grade, 22 to 27 in grades four through eight and 25 to 30 in grades nine through 12.

The class limits apply only to core classes such as English, math and science.

School districts face a monetary penalty if they fail to meet the class size requirements.

mvalero@highlandstoday.com (863) 386-586