A number of parents expressed their disapproval of growing class sizes at the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park School Board on Monday night.
“To have class sizes of 28 or 29 children is not only setting up the children to fail, but the teachers themselves,” district resident Maureen Bryant told the board.
Jenna DeRocchis, second vice president of the Manor Oaks PTA, said her daughter’s kindergarten class was much larger than when her son’s class when he was in kindergarten. Now that her daughter is entering first grade, she is concerned about the quality of instruction.
“The thing to consider for a successful class is the quality of teaching,” DeRocchis said. “How many children can we expect one educator to reach?”
Lisa Ugolini, Manor Oaks PTA president, said when the 2012-13 budget was presented a slide indicated class sizes for grades one, two and three would be kept to an average of 22 to 27 students, and 25 to 27 students on average in classes for grades four, five and six. Last year, Ugolini sat in on her daughter’s second grade class last year, it contained 26 students.
“If enrollment is currently at 28 students in one of the third grade classes, then we are already exceeding those guidelines,” said Ugolini.
Ugolini said two concerned parents recently told her there were 29 children registered in one third grade class at Manor Oaks this fall. Ugolini said she met with New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Superintendent Robert Katulak, and said he told her another third grade class would be added if class sizes continue to increase.
Katulak said the current second grade at Manor Oaks will have 27 students in each two rooms. Katulak said third grade classes size at Manor Oaks would be 28 students and 27 students in two classes, respectively.
Ugolini said the Herricks School District recently added additional classes to the fifth grade in Denton Avenue and Center Street Schools and the second grade in Searingtown.
“We’re not Herricks, we’re NHP-GCP,” said school board Trustee Patricia Rudd. “If we can, we will make class sizes smaller. I hate to say it but right now, it comes down to money, our governor and the 2 percent tax cap.”
Trustee Frank Miranda also slammed the state mandates, saying, “I’m a parent also, and the state has just been killing us, these mandates come down and they’re not funded.”
After the meeting, Katulak said the board will be monitoring the situation, and make a decision about adding classes based on the budget. But he said space, along with cost, is in issue.
“If you’re working in a building that is at capacity, you don’t even have space to put the other class,” said Katulak. “We would probably have to move our music program into the cafeteria, in order to make room for another section.”
In other developments:
• Katulak reported all demolition work has been completed, and the renovations are starting on capital improvement projects at district schools.
• Katulak announced that the school board and the teacher’s association have agreed on a collaborative Annual Professional Performance Review Plan.
“This is the new mandate that evaluates all principals and teachers and takes into account student performance and growth measures in the total evaluation,” he said.
The focus will be on the Common Core Learning Standards and the new Star Reading and Star Math and Literacy Assessments required by the state Department of Education.
