Parents urge action as Walt Whitman third-grade class sizes remain high; board outlines staffing process

Several Walt Whitman parents told the Board of Education on Tuesday they were frustrated and surprised when the district did not add a fourth third‑grade section this school year, leaving three classes with 23–24 students each while other elementary schools have smaller third‑grade classes.

"Our concern is about consistency and equity," parent Jennifer Mas told the board. She urged the district to reduce class sizes in early grades and asked the board to add class‑size reduction tutors to crowded rooms for the 2025–26 year. Another parent, Lisonbee Sorin, said families felt "blindsided and disregarded" when the enrollment decision was made without earlier communication.

Superintendent Rogers answered during the meeting, explaining the district finalizes staffing late in the summer and uses a longstanding practice of preemptively splitting classes that are within two students of the district maximums. "We make decisions about sections as late in the summer as we possibly can," Rogers said, explaining movement into and out of the district over the summer and residency verifications often change counts. He added that last-year practice had been to only split once a class exceeded the maximum and that the current practice of splitting two away from the cap was adopted to reduce volatility.

Why it matters: Parents said larger early-grade classes reduce teacher time per student, make classroom movement and indoor recess harder and create inequities when nearby schools end up with smaller sections. They cited research and state action on class-size caps in recent years to argue for smaller K–3 classes and asked the district to revisit its class-size policy.

Board response and near-term actions: Rogers said the district has used class‑size reduction tutors in previous years for tight classes and that deputy superintendent Dr. Curry and principals are meeting to identify immediate staffing and behavioral support needs. "We'll certainly do that because it won't be an irregularity in what we've done before," Rogers said. He described one special‑education mainstreaming case that required splitting beyond the "two‑away" rule. Board members asked for clearer communications to families about how decisions are made and for the district to report back with any proposed interventions.

Public comment and process questions: Earlier in the public comment period, a different speaker raised concerns about a separate change to policy 5300 (Code of Conduct) and the timing of the public hearing; the Board chair said the policy remained the board's purview and that the required notice and online posting had been made. The parent speakers asked the board to revisit class-size maxima and to adopt short‑term measures, such as adding certified tutors to overloaded rooms, while the district examines policy changes.

Next steps: District staff said principals and the Pupil Personnel office would review rooms to identify immediate needs and report back to the board with recommendations for tutors or other supports.