Nahant super warns of full-day K class staffed by one teacher

NAHANT – Superintendent Philip Devaux warned that increased kindergarten enrollment plus potential changes in grant funding may result in a kindergarten class with 27 students and only a single teacher next year.”This is an ‘alert,'” confirmed Devaux at the school committee’s Tuesday evening meeting. “But because this community loves ‘perfect storms?'”Devaux explained that the school’s latest numbers indicated a possible enrollment of 27 kindergarten students, up from an estimate of 24 students earlier this spring. With classroom sizes usually capped at 24 students, Devaux said the anticipated enrollment would typically require two kindergarten classes.In addition, Devaux said that the most current version of the state budget – currently in a bicameral committee – considers “refocusing” the state kindergarten grant toward schools in low income and urban areas. This grant currently funds approximately half the cost for the kindergarten’s aide, Devaux said.Devaux presented several potential scenarios if both the grant funding is eliminated and the kindergarten enrollment remains the same or increases.The least expensive proposal was having one full-day kindergarten class staffed by a single teacher. The most expensive would be to have two classrooms with a single teacher each that offer the option for full-day kindergarten, he said. But Devaux said that this option might require charging tuition for students in the afternoon session – a common practice in Massachusetts. He said that additional options included a kindergarten class with full- or part-time teacher’s aides and a teacher, and one kindergarten teacher with both a morning class and an afternoon class.Responding to committee questions, Devaux said that the $260,000 override request to be voted on June 25 might impact next year’s kindergarten enrollment but would otherwise impact the kindergarten.Nevertheless, committee Chair Christine Kendall suggested that the committee not immediately debate any of the options.”Before we get people upset,” Kendall said, “let’s see what happens with the override and what happens with the state budget.”