Big proposed class size increases for Title 1 and focus schools next year
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Anonymous
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Trying to make sense of the proposed class size changes in the operating budget that was just released (page 349/appendix C): https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/budget/fy2027/2027operatingbudget.pdf
Looks to me like they are planning to implement big class size increases next year in grades K-2 for Title 1 and Focus schools-- the staffing guidelines for these higher-poverty schools used to be 18 per class and have been at 19 the past two years, and the proposal has class sizes at 20-21 for K, 21-22 for 1st, and 22-23 for 2nd for higher-FARMS schools depending on FARMS share-- meaning as much as a 4-child increase in class size from this year and a 5-child increase from what it used to be pre-2024. They are suggesting modest improvements in class size (around 1-3 fewer kids per class) for richer elementary schools and for grades 3-5 (no changes in MS or HS that I can see), but honestly it doesn't seem wise to me to do that at the expense of the youngest kids at the highest-FARMS schools... those are the formative years to get kids on a solid footing in reading and math, and if they fall further behind in these bigger classes, it's just going to cost more for intervention later on (besides just being the wrong thing to do for those kids and their future), especially with the new state requirement to hold back kids who aren't reading proficiently by 3rd. Has anyone heard/seen anything more about this elsewhere, as far as how MCPS is justifying the change? It's pretty troubling to me. |
Anonymous
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Wow Taylor has some serious cojones to do this to low income elementary schools when outcomes are so bad.
And his budget one pager makes it look like he is adding funding to increase equity when he is almost certainly reducing funding for low income schools. SMH |
Anonymous
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I love how the page above this table says, "This work is intended to improve consistency, transparency, and equity in how staffing resources are allocated, while ensuring alignment with student needs and operational priorities."
When MCPS says "equity" they actually mean "inequity". Really. |
Anonymous
| If Yang and Silvestre do not vote against this or make efforts to get rid of Taylor I am going to tell everyone I know not to vote for them for County Council. I also won't be voting for any BOE incumbents that don't take a stand. |
Anonymous
And schools can have as high as a 74% FARMS rate and not make it into the smallest class size group (instead having target class sizes of 21 for K, 22 for 1st, 23 for 2nd)! How can anyone honestly think that a school with 70% FARMS kids is not in the highest-need group? Early elementary teachers at those schools had a hard enough time trying to get kids anywhere near grade level with 18 kids per class... how can they be expected to with classes of 22 or 23 kids, many of whom are special needs kids who aren't getting the support they need and so that all falls on the classroom teachers to deal with too? It honestly sounds like a recipe for getting more teachers to quit, too. If you have to deal with the challenges of a high-poverty school, and the classes are only a couple kids smaller than those at the richer schools, far fewer teachers will apply or stay at those schools... |
Anonymous
| If anybody still thinks Taylor isn't full on anti-DEI MAGA... |
Anonymous
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Haven't you noticed everything is going to the richer schools and this is going to have a terrible impact on the rest. This is why reducing farms rates at some schools is a bad idea as its less funding.
Its often kids with special needs don't get the help they deserve. THis isn't anything new. And, with the reduction of students at the HS level, and the reduction of staff because of that, the divide is going to be greater. The BOE is doing this to make their schools better. Who knows where Taylor's kids go to school but he is really out of touch with what's going on outside the W schools. |
Anonymous
They are BOTH behind all this. Be real. |
Anonymous
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As someone whose kids are at a high FARMs school, this is insane. My kids currently have about 15 in their class (one has 13 and one 17), with a helper, and it's still a zoo. The teacher truly can't get the kids up to grade level and she's very experienced. Half don't speak English and many didn't know their letters or colors before K.
Maybe instead of just basing it on FARMs they should look at ESOL as well. |
Anonymous
I don't care who is ultimately behind this. It seems to me Taylor is the source of all these crazy proposals. But anyone who supports him is complicit. |
Anonymous
I think he means equity for how the funds are distributed. Making it more equal per student. |
Anonymous
Equity is not equality! If he wants to make the system more equal, he should say that. But he throws around the term equity when he clearly doesn't believe in equity. |
Anonymous
He may or may not be the source, but he's doing the bidding. I think they are behind it and thats why they hired him. |
Anonymous
I think he is confusing equity with equality. The high school regional model has the same issue. |
Anonymous
I don't think he's confused. I think he is a POS MAGA pretending to be a white liberal. |