Lafayette Over Crowding

[Anonymous]

K and 1st grade both have 130 kids. Yet 1st grade has six sections of 23 kids (and had 6 sections last year too, in kindergarten). Yet this year's kindergarten has 5 enormous classes. Why the difference?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good points! Cut the fat. Who cares about 45 min of Spanish once a week. Cut foreign language, cut an Assistant Principal or both, and cut HSA funding for things like sports uniforms and participation in Archery tournaments out of State. It is not that hard.

In DCPS, foreign language is mandatory. They cannot cut that teacher. DCPS actually gives very little flexibility in the budget now. The era of autonomy is over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good points! Cut the fat. Who cares about 45 min of Spanish once a week. Cut foreign language, cut an Assistant Principal or both, and cut HSA funding for things like sports uniforms and participation in Archery tournaments out of State. It is not that hard.

In DCPS, foreign language is mandatory. They cannot cut that teacher. DCPS actually gives very little flexibility in the budget now. The era of autonomy is over.

It's actually two Spanish teachers. Is there autonomy to go to only one?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good points! Cut the fat. Who cares about 45 min of Spanish once a week. Cut foreign language, cut an Assistant Principal or both, and cut HSA funding for things like sports uniforms and participation in Archery tournaments out of State. It is not that hard.

In DCPS, foreign language is mandatory. They cannot cut that teacher. DCPS actually gives very little flexibility in the budget now. The era of autonomy is over.

What about the new AP they just hired?! They should have stuck with one principal and one AP like every other school, split up that salary and hired 2 teachers. Poor planning on Principals fault. The 6th teacher should have never been moved, she should have kept 6 K and hired one for 1st like every other logical principal would do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:K and 1st grade both have 130 kids. Yet 1st grade has six sections of 23 kids (and had 6 sections last year too, in kindergarten). Yet this year's kindergarten has 5 enormous classes. Why the difference?

The numbers don't make any sense. K has 140 in 5 classes while 1st has 142 in 6 classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:K and 1st grade both have 130 kids. Yet 1st grade has six sections of 23 kids (and had 6 sections last year too, in kindergarten). Yet this year's kindergarten has 5 enormous classes. Why the difference?

The numbers don't make any sense. K has 140 in 5 classes while 1st has 142 in 6 classes.

I typed wrong -- I meant 140, not 130. Regardless, my point (and your point) stand: K and 1st have the same number of kids; why did that number justify an additional teacher in 1st grade (and last year in K), but not this year's K?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:K and 1st grade both have 130 kids. Yet 1st grade has six sections of 23 kids (and had 6 sections last year too, in kindergarten). Yet this year's kindergarten has 5 enormous classes. Why the difference?

The numbers don't make any sense. K has 140 in 5 classes while 1st has 142 in 6 classes.

I typed wrong -- I meant 140, not 130. Regardless, my point (and your point) stand: K and 1st have the same number of kids; why did that number justify an additional teacher in 1st grade (and last year in K), but not this year's K?

I didn't mean your numbers but the school's rationale for waiting for more kids to add the 6th class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:K and 1st grade both have 130 kids. Yet 1st grade has six sections of 23 kids (and had 6 sections last year too, in kindergarten). Yet this year's kindergarten has 5 enormous classes. Why the difference?

The numbers don't make any sense. K has 140 in 5 classes while 1st has 142 in 6 classes.

I typed wrong -- I meant 140, not 130. Regardless, my point (and your point) stand: K and 1st have the same number of kids; why did that number justify an additional teacher in 1st grade (and last year in K), but not this year's K?

I didn't mean your numbers but the school's rationale for waiting for more kids to add the 6th class.

We agree. K parents, have you written to Dr. B to ask her this?

[Anonymous]

Kindergarten classes do have an aide, and in my experience, the aids are highly skilled teachers themselves. My kid will be in kinder - not going to worry (yet).

[Anonymous]

Two things to keep in mind -- teacher allotments are based on enrollment predictions. Dr. B has said at meetings that she's been trying to tell DCPS that enrollment is growing, especially since we've moved into the new building, but they don't fully get it and base this in large part on some erroneous model they have and the number of kids who enroll back in the spring. So she has to prove to them the numbers are different and the fight for an extra teacher. That happened last year as well with K -- she got the extra teacher over the summer as enrollment was going up. This year the enrollments are coming in even later, so she's pushing now but it's clear from her letter that every child counts in this discussion with DCPS.

[Anonymous]

K parents - rather than going after Dr. B., find your friends and neighbors who have not yet enrolled but are planning to send their kids this fall. I've heard about 4-5 additional kids whose families haven't gotten around to getting their paperwork in. This is how Dr. B can push DCPS for the added teacher and aide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:K parents - rather than going after Dr. B., find your friends and neighbors who have not yet enrolled but are planning to send their kids this fall. I've heard about 4-5 additional kids whose families haven't gotten around to getting their paperwork in. This is how Dr. B can push DCPS for the added teacher and aide.

What are they waiting for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:K parents - rather than going after Dr. B., find your friends and neighbors who have not yet enrolled but are planning to send their kids this fall. I've heard about 4-5 additional kids whose families haven't gotten around to getting their paperwork in. This is how Dr. B can push DCPS for the added teacher and aide.

What are they waiting for?

Remember these are families who are new to DCPS in most cases and probably don't know the procedures. I'm sure the same thing happens in every school system. Which is why it's important that if you know of any of them, you let them know.

[Anonymous]

How and the ____ is anything going to get done in those classes? Have you seen those classrooms? My sons was jam packed last year and he only had 22 in his class. These kids aren't going to learn a darn thing. Not to mention, these teachers are going to have a horrible time adjusting, aide or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How and the ____ is anything going to get done in those classes? Have you seen those classrooms? My sons was jam packed last year and he only had 22 in his class. These kids aren't going to learn a darn thing. Not to mention, these teachers are going to have a horrible time adjusting, aide or not.

100% of the teachers' time is going to go to discipline and classroom management -- with 28 kids in a class, someone is always going to be having a bad day/making bad choices.