A letter writer in today’s Press Democrat takes issue with Santa Rosa City School Board member Wally Lowry’s statements regarding class sizes.

After a Town Hall meeting Monday night, Lowry reiterated his desire to go after big-cost items as the district struggles to chop $5.6 million from its approximately $88.2 million budget. Increasing class sizes in grades 4-12 (he is not as supportive of touching K-3 teacher/student ratios) would be a big step in that direction, he said.

“I’m a firm believer that class sizes have to get bigger,” he said.

But the letter writer outlines what she feels is the untold fallout of larger classes, especially English classes. The letter comes from someone in the know.

Veteran English teacher, former Maria Carrillo High principal and one-time assistant district superintendent, Pam Devlin, does a by-the-numbers accounting of what class sizes of 40 students would mean to most English teachers. Check it out here:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091203/OPINION/912029890/1044/OPINION02?Title=Thursday-s-Letters-to-the-Editor

Rough math finds this: Raising class sizes from about 28 to 40 students for the approximately 12,000 students in grades four through 12 would mean cutting 128 full time jobs for a savings of $8.32 million.

Let’s be clear: these numbers have never been floated or publicly discussed by district officials. Taking class sizes to 40 is not among the district’s long list of potential money saving moves.

It should also be noted that those 128 jobs would have dramatic impacts on the viability of school sites and a slew of other programs.

On the district’s list of potential cuts is, however, a line item stating the district would save approximately $455,000 a year if it cut seven teacher positions to bring class sizes from 28 to 29 in grades nine through 11; and another $273,000 if the district cut 4.2 full time positions to bring class sizes from 28 to 29 in grades seven and eight. 

To put the whole argument in context, board members are expected in January to pinpoint $5.6 million in cuts for the 2010-11 school year. Another $4.7 million is expected for 2011-12. Among the items being considered? Closing three small, alternative high schools; reducing the school year by as many as five days; eliminating computers, art and physical education from the elementary school schedule; cutting more than seven teacher librarian positions, and slashing athletic funding.

Hard numbers. How do they add up for you?

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