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SCHOOLS: Board rejects teachers' class size grievance
Feb 2, 2006
After listening politely, the Board of Education said �no� to the teachers� class-size grievance Monday.
�We denied the grievance � certainly not because the board wants large
classes, but because we don�t have the funding in the middle of the
school year to remediate those sections and classes which are larger
than we�d like to see,� said board member Katherine Fischer.
An editorial addresses this issue � see Columns.
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The grievance brought by the teachers union local, the National
Education Association-Ridgefield, complained of some 77 classes in all
three levels of the school system that have more students in them than
is called for in the teachers� contract.
Ms. Fischer moved to deny the grievance Monday night, Jan. 30, in
public session following the board�s closed-door discussion of the
union�s public presentation on the issue.
The motion passed 7-0, with two abstentions.
�Naturally, we�re disappointed with the results of that vote,� said
Patrick Higgins, a Ridgefield High School social studies teacher and
president of the union local. �Obviously, there are teachers that
really need relief in the classrooms with the amount of students they
have.�
Having exhausted three levels of local appeal � building principals,
superintendent of schools and board of Education � the union�s
remaining option for legal activity on the class size issue would be to
take the dispute to a state arbitrator.
Mr. Higgins carefully avoided saying that�s what the union would do.
�We were hoping the board would vote the other way, but they didn�t,�
he said. �We�re just going to have to take a look at what our options
from this point might be.�
�Desired maximums�
The contract specifies �desired maximum class sizes� of 20 in
kindergarten and first grade, 25 for most classes in grades two through
12, with a desired maximum of 15 in classes for slow learners and the
limits in some other classes � laboratory sciences, for instance �
related to the number of student work stations.
Joan Hughes, representing the union at Monday�s hearing, said teachers
were concerned that the overcrowded classes are becoming more common.
�We have 77 classes this year, as opposed to 55 last year,� she said.
The union�s written complaint lists overcrowded classes.
- Three Ridgebury Elementary School teachers have 22 students in
kindergarten and first grade classes, and there are two first grades
with 21 students.
- Two third grade classes at Veterans Park School have 27 and 26 students.
- Barlow Mountain School has three third grades with 26 per class.
- At Scotts Ridge Middle School the grievance listed 29 classes
over the break point of 25. Twelve classes were at 26 students, 15
classes were two students over at 27 while two classes were listed at
28, three students over the desired maximum. The list included six math
or algebra classes, five sections of English, four of social studies,
three of science.
- East Ridge Middle School had seven classes listed, three at
26 and four at 27 including sixth grade math, seventh grade pre-algebra
and eighth grade algebra, as well as Spanish, French and art.
- For Ridgefield High School the union listed classes of 27
students or more. There were 31 of them. The overcrowded classes
include in 20 sections of physical education, with 12 of them listed at
between 30 and 35 students. The union lists a theater class with 31
students and sections of Spanish, English, American Government and
Politics and health with 27 students each.
Ms. Hughes cited safety concerns about the overly large physical
education classes at the high school. While there were 55 classes over
the desired maximum last year, she said, there were no high school gym
classes with more than 30 students in them.
Special needs
Special needs students are another concern. The union�s grievance says
that one of the elementary school classes in the complaint has six
special needs students: three �on the autistic spectrum;� two low
ability students (one possibly autistic, one learning disabled); and a
student with Attention Deficit Disorder. A seventh student is �about to
be evaluated,� the grievance said.
Another elementary level class in the union�s complaint included five
special needs students: two with learning disabilities; one emotionally
disturbed student; an English as a Second Language student; and a
�medical case with significant learning issues.�
Responses from administrators note that in both the elementary classes
where the union points to a number of special needs students, the
classroom teachers have been assisted by an educational
paraprofessional since the beginning of the year.
Board member Fischer said her motion to deny the grievance was based on
a 1977 ruling in a class size dispute that the board believes
delineated the limits of contract language that the teachers union
based its case on.
�The grievance has to do with the teacher contract, which talks about
�desired maximum� class sizes,� Ms. Fischer said. �...The ruling was
that that language doesn�t commit the board to the desired maximum size
� so, we denied the grievance.�
There was a good crowd present during the union�s presentation at the
grievance hearing � Monday night was also the first presentation of the
administration�s budget request � and three parents later spoke on the
class size issue.
�It was wonderful to see the amount of parents that came out to support us in this grievance,� Mr. Higgins said.
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