Thank you to Kristen, Allison, Gabe and Jennifer for getting to the BOCS/School Board joint meeting last night!! It was a very informative meeting and here is what I learned from the presentation by Mr. Dave Cline, Associate Superintendent for Finance and Support Services and from the comments by those on both boards. Prince William is very lucky to have Mr. Cline on the school staff. His presentations regarding the construction of the pool and class sizes have been very well done. Thank you Mr. Cline for all that you do for the schools! There never was nor is there currently a strategy or plan to reduce class size. This may have been talked about but it has not been on any serious agenda until the pool was proposed. So, all this time the opponents to the pool have been using class sizes as a distraction yet they have never done anything to take action on the issue….. Until now, why now? One of the louder criticisms against the pool is that it is not part of the “plan”. Well, apparently neither is lowering class sizes. There is no solid science regarding the return on investment to lower class sizes. While there are many anecdotal testimonies, mainly from teachers, regarding the benefits, there is no empirical study that says lower classroom sizes result in a better education. Ms. Jessie, who is likely the most informed and experienced on the school board when it comes to this topic, indicated that it is not always about class sizes or money, it’s about how teachers teach. Ms. Bell indicated that there are also other variables at play that effect student achievement, such as site based management and administration. That being said, I am sure there are definitely some benefits to lower class sizes, especially to the teachers in regard to job satisfaction and quality of life in the class room. Larger class rooms are sure to be more difficult to manage. But there are no empirical studies which prove the claims that lowering our class room sizes will enhance the educational experience in our schools. PWCS are NOT losing quality teachers to adjacent jurisdictions. Chairman Johns noted that last year we hired 600 new teachers, and received over 60,000 applications for those positions. Mr. Cline reported that PWCS last year lost 50 teachers to adjacent jurisdictions and hired 44 from adjacent jurisdictions, a net loss of six teachers out of approximately 10,000 PWCS teachers. So, there is no question, and there never has been in my mind, that we are attracting and hiring some of the best teachers in the country. Your taxes are going to increase if we attempt any significant reduction in class sizes. Lowering class sizes is an expensive proposition. Reducing class sizes to an amount that will have any significant effect on student performance cost $15 million for a reduction of one student district wide. When asked for an amount of money the school board would request to decrease class sizes, Chairman Johns indicated that the school board would need an increase in their budget of $50 to $60 million per year. Chairman Stewart went further by polling the BOCS members for recognition that in order to fund any meaningful reduction in class sizes the BOCS must increase taxes, further indicating that it is not possible to find $50 to $60 million per year by cuts in other areas of current or future budgets. In response every BOCS member indicated they recognized the need to increase taxes and were willing to do so. After giving a good effort to evade answering the question, even Gainesville Supervisor Candland agreed that raising taxes is necessary to accommodate any significant reduction in the classroom sizes. December 18th is when the bids on the construction site for the 12th high school are due. This is when the School Board must decide on the pool. I believe it is time to separate the issue of reducing classroom sizes and constructing a swimming pool with the 12th high school. The opponents to the pool have no other reason to resent the construction other than they have not been able to get the attention they need on the reduction of classroom sizes and the pool has been convenient cannon fodder. Supporting the pool is not a condemnation of the lowering of class sizes, most of us who are dealing with kids in crowded swim lanes are also dealing with kids in crowded classrooms. We get it, but there is no reason to reject the opportunity to add a much needed asset to the schools and the community for the sake of making the point that our classrooms are crowded. To that end, your point has been made, and thanks to the pool is now getting more attention than it has ever had in the past. Now it is time to get the pool built and move on with making a reasonable plan to lower classroom sizes.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Oct 2013 02:02:17 +0000
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