By STEPHEN BARTLETT
PLATTSBURGH — The American school trend is toward budget-cutting, class-size boosters.
While smaller class sizes are preferred because they mean more time with the teacher for each student, larger class sizes are the reality for many as the nation's fiscal belt squeezes out resources.
The North Country, for the most part, is slightly behind on the trend, but area school officials warn that increasing class sizes are merely a whisper away.
'CROSSROADS'
"We are at a crossroads here and are going to have to consider over the next few years, reductions, preferably through attrition, and that could lead to bigger class sizes," said Malone Central School Superintendent Wayne Walbridge.
Class sizes increased a sliver in some grade levels at Malone over the past few years, but that's due to more live births in Franklin County after a period of decrease. Overall, class sizes remained consistent.
"There are smaller class sizes at the primary level at kindergarten, and as you get up to first and second grades, you get up into the area of 20 and then mid 20s for the intermediate grades," Walbridge said.
But Walbridge and other school officials said the current financial path that public schools seem restricted to in New York could be devastating in many ways, including increased class sizes.
INFLUENTIAL STUDIES
Educational research confirming that small classes benefit students inspired a nationwide trend toward smaller class sizes starting in the 1990s.
The change was chiefly instigated by the STAR report. The Tennessee experiment involved roughly 11,600 students and 1,300 teachers in 76 schools and 42 districts in controlled studies at certain grade levels over the period of four years.
The research concluded that smaller class sizes resulted in significant gains in student achievement.
Reports by the American Educational Research Association, Keystone Research Center and the U.S. Department of Education reached similar conclusions.
The reports also indicated that while smaller class sizes were beneficial, they may be most effective in the earlier years and among minority students and those from more disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.
NATIONAL SQUEEZE
But an ailing economy has left schools fighting for funds and resources — and, more often than not, coming up short.
North Carolina lawmakers, in order to balance the budget, reduced education funding and gave schools permission to increase class sizes, which many are doing. Some elementary-grade classrooms jumped to nearly 30 students.
Several other states are experiencing class-size increases, too, due to budget cuts, including Massachusetts, where numbers have crept up over the past few years, and California, which has seen a marked rise in class size for kindergarten through third grade.
EDGING UP
"We have had enrollments in some of our elementary-school classes go up a little bit," said Saranac Lake Central School Superintendent Gerald Goldman. "We closed Lake Clear School.
"We also probably have some classes at the High School that have a few more students than we would like to see. We try to keep classes in the low 20s, but that is not always possible."
AuSable Valley Central School officials have worked diligently to maintain adequate class sizes, though Superintendent Paul Savage said that in some areas they are starting to increase.
"Our elementary classes are at max in some cases. But I would say that mostly we have been able to maintain class sizes as we would like."
FUTURE CHALLENGE
Plattsburgh City School District has been able to keep what school officials feel are acceptable class sizes so far. Elementary grades range from 18 to 23 students.
But Superintendent James "Jake" Short said the next couple of years are questionable.
"Our state-aid revenue will be extremely challenged, and schools will have to live within their means."
Until its financial resources are diminished, Saranac Central School is committed to maintaining smaller classes.
"Many studies have found class size makes a difference in student achievement," Superintendent Ken Cringle affirmed.
The district tries to keep numbers to 16 to 18 students in grades K-3, 18 to 20 in grades 4-5 and a slightly higher population in the secondary grades.
School officials discuss all areas of the budget and so far have remained true to class-size goals.
Peru Central School is eyeing reducing class sections in the future, a move that would save money, but officials don't expect class sizes to rise as a result. The district has experienced lower enrollment than in years past.
"We appear to be fortunate because we would be able to serve students with approximately the same class size," Superintendent A. Paul Scott said.
Beekmantown School officials aren't quite as confident.
"Budget cuts have not affected class sizes yet," said Superintendent Scott Amo, "but there is no way of guaranteeing that, depending on how severe the economy remains."
E-mail Stephen Bartlett at: sbartlett@pressrepublican.com
