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Belle Vernon School Board hears concerns over class size

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Belle Vernon School Board Monday heard concerns about kindergarten classroom sizes at Marion Elementary.

Rebecca Gardner of Fayette City, who has a child in kindergarten at Marion, said she would like to see smaller class sizes because kindergarten is the foundation for the rest of a child’s education. Gardner said she has a petition with 226 supporters of her proposal for smaller class sizes to ensure each child is getting the attention he or she needs.

Gardner said the school’s mission statement is “to provide a learning environment designed to motivate students to perform at high levels of academic achievement and self-sufficiency,” which she believes will not be a reality in larger kindergarten classes.

“I am worried because if it doesn’t change now, what’s going to happen next year?” Gardner said.

She said current class sizes, ranging from 26 to 28 students divided into four classrooms, are high compared to the average size of 21 to 22 students in neighboring districts. Gardner said four other local districts have solved the issue of large class sizes by hiring an additional teacher. “It can work,” Gardner said.

Superintendent Dr. John Wilkinson, who met with parents Monday evening to discuss this issue, said the problem with hiring another full-time teacher is that it would cost the district $78,000, which the district cannot afford.

Wilkinson said the class with 28 students has support from a Title 1 teacher, which he said is also an option for the other classrooms. Wilkinson said the district also could look into hiring two part-time aides at a cost of $40,000.

He said the district is facing a projected increase of $350,000 in total salaries for 2017-18 and an increase of about $320,000 for employee retirement system contributions. Wilkinson said if he had the $78,000 to hire a new teacher, he would do so immediately. “This isn’t something I take lightly,” he said.

Wilkinson said he thinks 26 students per class is workable, but he would like to be able to reach 24 to 25 students per class. Other options Wilkinson discussed but would not recommend were to find five families who would be willing to send their children to Rostraver Elementary, or implementing a half-day kindergarten program, which would require 35 volunteers.

Wilkinson said with next year’s budget, the board might include funding for a new kindergarten teacher, depending on student numbers. He said the addition of a first-grade teacher also could be considered.

Board Vice President Lou Rood said the enrollment numbers were not this high in March, and once the final numbers came in, the budget was already done.

Director Gloria Yuschak also suggested hiring a part-time teacher who could come in for three periods. By hiring part time, Wilkinson said the district could save on costs because the part-time position would not include benefits.

Board President Joe Grata said directors plan to re-examine the budget to see if there is anywhere they can tighten up to gain some funding.

In other action, the board voted unanimously to authorize PFM Financial Advisors to proceed with the issuance of one or more series of general-obligation bonds. Grata said this would be a 21-year bond issue, with all of the district’s debt scheduled to be paid off by 2038.

He said this bond issue would pay for various projects, including the emergency sewer line repair at the middle school at a cost of $550,000, the new fire alarm system at the high school at a cost of $350,000, and finishing the roof replacements on the last of the buildings in the district at a cost of $1,060,000. He said those three projects account for $2 million of the $3.1 million bond issue.

The board also approved a revision to the high school honor roll requirements.

The new requirements will be implemented next year. They include honors changing from a 3.0 to 3.49 grade-point average to 3.5 to 3.74; high honors changing from a 3.5 to 3.74 GPA to 3.75 to 3.95, with any individual grade lower than 80 percent disqualifying a student from the list; and highest honors changing from 3.75 and higher to 3.95 and higher, with any grade lower than an 80 percent disqualifying a student from the list.

Wilkinson said the change is being made due to the availability of Advanced Placement, college and honors classes for freshmen. “We want to encourage our best and brightest,” Wilkinson said.

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