LYNNFIELD — Last week, in a resolution presented by the members of the Lynnfield Teachers Association, teachers and educators demanded that the School Committee “maintain the current class size policy and include it in the collective bargaining agreement with the LTA as a side-letter” among other directives.
According to Lynnfield Public Schools’ policy, the optimal number of children in one kindergarten class is 18. However, a range of 18 to 22 children is permitted. While these numbers are guidelines rather than stringent limits that require compliance, some parents and teachers have continually expressed concern over the increasing number of students in one class.
Recently, the School Committee also decided to eliminate the class size policy — a move that received heavy backlash and criticism from parents and educators alike.
“It’s literally a math problem,” parent Jenny Sheehan said. “I’m curious if in your policy review, did this also even bother to ask a kindergarten teacher their perspective on class size? If you did, you certainly didn’t listen because all I see is these teachers are thanking me for shining light on the topic, a topic which they believe is a real concern. These decisions you make affect our teachers and children.”
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s policies state that the average class size for kindergarten is not permitted to exceed 25.
“We have classes that range from anywhere from 18 to 23 students, it may seem on the outside that an extra one or two students each year doesn’t make a huge difference,” Huckleberry Hill school teacher Katie Stevens said. “However, it’s extra focused attention that either comes from our time or comes from the time that we would focus on each student if we had the optimal 18 students. When it comes to classroom instruction, having 23 versus 18 students is an entire extra group, and when we are seeing students with needs higher than ever before, our students absolutely cannot afford to have less teacher-facing time in small group instruction.”
The LTA and School Committee will open a two-way discussion to address this issue and the other directives in the resolution.
