PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Cap on size of classes finally kicks in
Starting Monday, you can no longer stuff more than 25 students into a `core' class. But the new limits could get rescinded.
BY KATHLEEN MCGRORY AND CARLI TEPROFF
KMCGRORY@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Tired of chaotic classrooms teeming with 40 students and desperate to see their children get some individual attention from a teacher, Florida voters went to the polls and demanded that public school classes have no more than 25 students.
Eight years after that historic vote, they are finally getting their wish.
When the school bell rings Monday morning in Miami-Dade and Broward, it will be against the law for high school students to be placed in a core class with more than 24 of their peers. In pre-K through third grade, the classroom cap is 18. In grades four through eight, 22.
Getting down to the limit has been a monstrous headache for South Florida school districts. The state didn't provide all the money it promised, and local districts are already struggling to balance the budget amid a grinding recession.
For a while, some districts considered ignoring the limits and paying millions in fines, figuring that would be cheaper than corralling enough teachers to make the teacher-student ratios work.
In the end, most found creative ways to comply, such as offering more Internet-based virtual classes to older students and shifting athletic directors and media specialists into the classrooms to teach.
Is that what voters had in mind?
``Is it ideal?'' asks Broward Schools Superintendent Jim Notter. ``No. But children are resilient.''
The class size limits may not be around for long.
In November, voters will decide whether to water down the rules in light of the recession. Obtaining 60 percent of the vote for a constitutional amendment will be a challenge. Parents are sympathetic, but only to a point.
``We want class size met,'' said Bernie Kemp, president of the Broward County Council of PTAs.
WHY SIZE MATTERS
Studies show that small classes generally improve student performance, especially in the lower grades.
However, some social scientists say student achievement has more to do with teacher quality than class size -- and creating smaller classes may not be worth the considerable expense.
Parents like Liz Schlotzhauer say smaller classes mean each kid, including the one in the back of the class who doesn't raise his hand, gets more attention from the teacher.
``When classes are too large, kids fall through the cracks,'' said Schlotzhauer, whose daughters attend John A. Ferguson Senior High in Miami-Dade. ``The teachers can't reach everyone.''
Pablo Torrealba remembers having 45 students in his biology and earth science classes at G. Holmes Braddock Senior High. His students were jammed into the classroom -- and had to wait their turn to use the lab equipment.
``Over the years, [the union] kept asking us what would really help us out,'' the 22-year veteran said. ``The answer was always the same: smaller class sizes.''
In 2002, a group of Democratic lawmakers heeded the call, proposing a constitutional amendment to limit class size in public schools. The amendment required the Legislature -- and not local school districts -- to foot the bill.
Opponents, including former Gov. Jeb Bush, who made education issues a centerpiece of his administration, blasted the estimated $15 billion cost as not worth the price tag.
Still, the amendment passed.
In the eight years since the vote, Florida school districts have been easing into compliance. Class size was initially measured by the school district average. Then, it was measured by each school's average.
COST VS. BENEFITS
Beginning this fall, districts are required to make sure that each individual classroom is in compliance.
But last February, two years into the nationwide recession, a pair of Republican lawmakers proposed an amendment to keep class size counts at the school level, saying it would save the state between $350 million and $2 billion.
The House and Senate voted to put the measure on the November ballot.
Until then, school districts must comply, meaning each ``core'' class -- math, English, science -- must meet the limits.
Districts that don't comply face millions of dollars in fines.
Charter schools, which are funded by tax dollars but run by private boards, can continue to submit schoolwide averages. They received an exemption because they were not given some state funding for additional facilities.
The proposal to water down the caps appears on the November ballot as Amendment 8.
The Florida Association of District School Superintendents is advocating for its passage, saying school districts need the flexibility to give students a well-rounded education without breaking the bank.
Some parents are understanding.
``It would be wonderful if the state were giving us the money,'' said Cherry Mason, a former PTA president whose grandchildren attend Broward County's Pines Middle and Charles Flanagan High. ``But right now, the districts can't afford it.''
Still, both the United Teachers of Dade and the Florida Education Association are urging voters to say no to the amendment.
SHUFFLING THEIR STAFF
UTD President Karen Aronowitz argues that relaxing the class-size rules would amount to another cut in education funding.
``The voters of Florida knew what they were doing when they passed the class-size amendment,'' Aronowitz said.
Said parent Claudia Garcia: ``Smaller class sizes work. Everyone, the state and the districts, need to make it happen.''
To meet the new standards, Broward is combining classes; having high school teachers teach an extra period; and offering more virtual classes, which are delivered via the Internet instead of a traditional teacher.
``Right now we are considering everything,'' Notter said.
The Miami-Dade district is also adding optional virtual classes, and requiring some regional and central office administrators to teach classes. Other employees, including athletic directors and media specialists, will also take on teaching duties.
The move has upset some employees. Media specialists, for example, say they are already short staffed and if they are in the classroom, they'll have to close the libraries.
``The kids won't have the same kind of access to the library,'' said Sue Parrott, who works at Palmetto Middle in Miami-Dade.
High school teachers have the option to take on an extra class for extra pay.
Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho stressed that only employees who are certified teachers will be in classrooms -- and that the district will abide by each employee's contract.
``I'm asking everyone to be flexible in their professional environment,'' he said. ``The important thing is that everyone has a job and we will meet the constitutional law.''
At some schools, elective classes like debate and drama will end up with more students than usual.
``But if it's in the best interest of the kids, we're willing to work around it,'' said Paul Lobeck, a teacher at Miami Southridge Senior.
What happens if come November, voters do choose to relax the rules?
``In some cases, what we've done makes good, practical sense,'' said Carvalho. ``It was a good exercise in efficiency.''
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/21/v-fullstory/1786662/cap-on-size-of-classes-finally.html#ixzz14HkfKNRZ
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