CLASS-SIZE AMENDMENT
Voters reject class-size changes
Voters have spoken now -- twice. Whatever the cost, they want smaller classes.
BY KATHLEEN MCGRORY AND CARLI TEPROFF
KMCGRORY@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Florida voters reaffirmed their commitment to small class sizes on Tuesday, defeating a Constitutional amendment that would have relaxed the rules on how many children may be in a classroom. It was a victory for parent and teacher groups, which had lobbied to keep the existing class-size rules in place. Loosening the regulations, they argued, could mean less state funding for education.
``The people of Florida made it clear that they want smaller classes,'' said United Teachers of Dade President Karen Aronowitz. ``Now, the Legislature has to find the money.''
Added Broward Superintendent Jim Notter: ``It's the first indicator of a groundswell to hold the state accountable, once and for all, for adequately funding public education.''
Florida voters first added class-size rules into the state Constitution in 2002.
The requirements apply only to core subject areas like math, science, social studies and language arts, and vary based on grade level. Kindergarten through third-grade classes are limited to 18 children. Fourth- through eighth-grade classes may have up to 22; high school classes up to 25.
Last year, a school was OK if its average classroom met the limits. But starting this year, individual classrooms had to abide by the rules.
It was a challenge for schools statewide -- partly because the economy collapsed and the state did not provide the funding it promised.
So lawmakers put the issue on the November ballot, giving voters the option to loosen the requirements by passing Amendment 8.
It would have taken a 60 percent ``yes'' vote to relax the rules. If it had passed, the class-size count would have reverted to schoolwide averages.
Voters had mixed feelings Tuesday.
Marty Charney, 59, of Tamarac, supported Amendment 8: ``Schools should have the choice of having bigger classes.''
But Wolfgang Ceballos, of Aventura, a graduate of Miami-Dade public schools, said he prefers strict limits on class size.
``I always felt that I learned better when the size of the class was smaller,'' he said.
CONTENTIOUS
Amendment 8 set off a heated debate among educators, parents and elected officials.
Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho called it ``one of the most contentious, hotly debated education issues in Florida over the last eight years.''
The state association of superintendents advocated for the amendment, saying principals needed flexibility to make decisions that were good for students.
For example, they said, schools should not deny one student an Advanced Placement class just because the class already has 25 kids.
But the PTA and state teachers union made a different argument. They said small classes are good for children -- and having strict rules written into the Constitution should mean more funding for public education.
School districts have struggled to meet the classroom caps so far this year. Many found creative-but-less-than-ideal ways to comply, such as combining children from different grade levels into a single class, or tapping media specialists, counselors and athletic directors to teach.
With voters turning down Amendment 8, Broward Superintendent Notter said the district will likely stay in the position it was in this year: scrambling to find the funding for teachers.
Carvalho, the Miami-Dade superintendent, says he hopes Tuesday's vote will force the state to find more funding.
``The people have spoken -- twice,'' he said. ``The state ought to respect it and the state ought to fund it.''
`TOUGH DECISIONS'
Bill Montford, CEO of the state association of superintendents, said school chiefs will adhere to what the voters want -- but it may come at a price.
``They will have to make some tough decisions,'' Montford said.
That could mean further cutting elective classes like band and drama, or limiting enrollment at neighborhood schools.
Districts not in compliance with the state mandate face millions in penalties. Both the Miami-Dade and Broward school districts will likely have to pay $2 million in fines this year because a small fraction of classrooms are over the limits.
In Miami-Dade, about 97 percent of classrooms meet the requirements, district officials said. In Broward, the figure is about 98 percent.
Maintaining those numbers could be tough.
Both superintendents expect thousands of children to transfer schools before the end of the school year -- and a single child can throw a school out of compliance.
``There are common-sense solutions that would bring about the flexibility districts need,'' said Carvalho, the Miami-Dade superintendent. ``We can arrive at those solutions with input from all stakeholders.''
`PROVEN'
Florida PTA President Karin Brown was thrilled by the outcome of Tuesday's vote.
``Smaller class sizes work; it's been proven,'' Brown said. ``This is what the voters wanted in 2002. To say they didn't know what they were voting for was a slap in the face.''
Broward Teachers Union President Pat Santeramo agreed. ``Now, it is up to the legislators to adequately fund it,'' he said.
University of Miami journalism student Elissa DeCampli contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/03/v-fullstory/1905847/voters-reject-class-size-changes.html#ixzz14DpS8AZk
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