Reply to Increased class sizes for next year

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I received this after signing the petition related to class size increases:

Thank you for signing the petition in opposition to the use of a class size increase to address the budget shortfall.  To date, 2,356 individuals have signed the petition on ActionNetwork!
 
Based on conversations with stakeholders, I understand that the only feasible way for MCPS to address the shortfall without increasing class size is for the County Council to provide a supplemental appropriation to MCPS.  It will be a tall lift to persuade the Council to provide this funding, after it has finalized its operational budget for FY 2025.  The only shot to obtain a supplemental appropriation is to put enormous pressure on the Council to act.
 
Therefore, I urge you to [b]write or call councilmembers this weekend through Monday to urge them to provide a supplemental appropriation[/b] to MCPS so that MCPS can adopt a budget that does not require an increase in class size.  I have copied their e-mail addresses and phone numbers below.
 
An e-mail to councilmembers can be as short as 2-3 sentences.  Below is an outline you could follow.  The more you personalize your e-mail or voicemessage, the more persuasive you will be.
 
“I urge you to provide a supplemental appropriation to MCPS so that MCPS does not need to increase class size in order to address their budget shortfall.
 
“We need to decrease—not increase—class sizes, which are already too large. Under MCPS’s proposed one-student-per-class increase, some elementary schools are losing a teacher in a grade, which means four classes are being reduced to three classes.  For students in those grades, they will have several more students in their class.
 
“Studies demonstrate that smaller class sizes result in higher achievement.  Most elementary classrooms are heterogenous, and the needs of students in these classrooms vary significantly, from students needing remedial instruction, to on-grade-level students, to students who qualify for enrichment. The existing large class sizes at the elementary level make it exceedingly difficult for teachers to provide differentiated instruction. An increase in class size will make it even more difficult for teachers to meet the needs of all students in their classrooms.
 
“There is a similar detrimental impact in middle and high schools that lose teachers and see expanded class sizes.
 
[Explain, in 1-2 or more sentences, the situation at your child’s school.]
 
[If your school will not be losing teachers, say that, because it shows that you care about all students’ experiences.]
 
Thank you for your advocacy!

[/quote]

And this... is why we never have accountability in MCPS.  They ALWAYS cut student facing positions, the public rightly freaks out and MCPS receives additional funds.  So never has to clean house.[/quote]

Yeah. I don't understand why the MCEA on one hand is asking us to write a blank check for MCPS, but then routinely talks about how broken, corrupt and mismanaged MCPS is.

Why should we the taxpayers give a blank check to a school system that the MCEA routinely calls out for malfeasance? The messaging does not make sense here. [/quote]

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