Rye Parents Say “No” to Increasing Class Size in City School District

What started as an idea from the Administration to increase the range of class size in Rye City schools turned into two nights of vigorous discussion among parents, teachers, and the Board. The upshot: parents don’t like the idea.

By Peter Jovanovich

Does Class Size Matter?

Not really, according to Dr. Frank Alvarez, Superintendent of Rye City Schools, who citied a range of current research on the subject of class size reduction at the January 12 Board meeting. To summarize his findings:
1. Benefits of class size reduction only accrue to very small classes, lower than 16.
2. Majority of studies find that only very large reductions impact student learning when instruction is significantly different.
3. Gains are limited to the early grades and for underprivileged children, different populations than Rye.
4. Studies, at grades 4, 6, and 8, find no difference in achievement between students whose class size varied at the same school.
5. All other studies on class size reduction generate either small estimates of gains or no effects at all.
Dr. Alvarez concluded: “It’s really quite contrary to what we think should be the answer — to reduce class size should improve achievement. But, there is very little evidence to support that.”

The District, at its January 12 meeting, suggested that it might change the current policy of 18 to 23 students per class to 20 to 25 students per class, about a 10% increase in the range. Board member Chris Repetto, speaking for the Board, asked for comments from the many parents and teachers in the audience. He was not disappointed.

“Last year,” said Megan Wardle, Milton PTO co-President, “the Rye taxpayers came out to support the override [in part] to maintain current class sizes. And, Rye parents clearly stated they did not want larger class sizes.” She concluded, “I’m a little bit surprised that we are having this conversation right now.”

Wardle’s remarks about the “frustration” of campaigning for the tax cap override last year in order to prevent an increase in class size, only to hear the Board consider increasing class size this year, was echoed by many speakers. Midland PTO co-President Colleen Margiloff remarked, “This is a bitter pill to swallow. After all of our hard work on the budget override last year, this feels like a slap in the face.”

Parents also expressed concern about the impact on children and teachers of increased class size. Many feel that learning will be diminished, that there will be a loss of individualized instruction, teacher engagement, and experiential learning.

One parent, Sonali Patel, cited research that the number one reason teachers leave their jobs is increasing class size. “You’re talking about losing great teachers,” she said, “and the reason we move here is because of great teachers.”

At the next Board meeting on January 26, President Katy Glassberg, who was unable to attend the previous meeting, launched the discussion by explaining the context of a possible change in class size policy. She noted, there are sections at Rye City schools that are either below or above the guidelines. Second, “This is a very constrained year coming up. The new tax cap, in truth, will be less than 1%; not the 2% that the District has been planning for.”

Speaking for the Board, Glassberg explained, “This is not a done deal. And it’s clear to me and all the other Board members that increasing the range to 20-25 students per class is a non-starter.” She added, “Maybe we need to build a little bit of the capacity, in the event we need to have 23 or 24 students; we cannot afford to run classes of 16.”

For a second night, the RMS Multipurpose Room was packed and many of the parents and teachers in the room got up to speak. Many of the themes from the January 12 meeting arose again.

Laura Beckton, a teacher whose children attended Rye City schools, made two points: First, “After handing our flyers at the train station, going door to door, I really believed that the class size issue was settled. It feels a little bit like a bait and switch.” Second, “A class guideline of 18-24 is a huge range. No parent wakes up each morning hoping that there will be more students in his or her child’s classroom.”

Christine Rupp, with three children at Midland, who is also on the PTO executive board as well as being a teacher, explained her views after a career in education: “Without any exception, the smaller the student/teacher ratio, the more learning is achieved, in my opinion.”

The meeting wound up with Glassberg reiterating that this is an ongoing conversation. The Policy Committee, chaired by Karen Belanger, will consider these and further comments before making recommendations to the Board.

Directing her remarks to the audience, Glassberg vowed, “There won’t be any decision made in your absence.”