At the Aug. 11 meeting of the Great Valley School District Board, Superintendent delivered an enrollment update saying, “Right now, we have less than 300 kindergartens and kindergartners enrolled,” and outlined the district’s class‑size guidelines as board members and parents raised concerns about overcrowding at General Wayne Elementary. Parents asked the board to add new sections in third and fourth grades rather than exceed class guidelines.

The superintendent said kindergarten enrollment is down from last year and that the district is watching cohort sizes across grades; the report noted the district has roughly 25 newly hired teachers and that principals will finalize rosters shortly. The superintendent explained class‑size guidelines to the board: “for K to 1 are 18 to 22 students. In grades 2 and 3, it's 20 to 24 students. And in grade 4, it's 22 to 26 students.” The superintendent said most elementary classes are within those guidelines but singled out fourth grade at General Wayne and Katie Markley as being at or near the guideline cap.

During the public‑comment section, parents from General Wayne described specific classroom counts and the effects on instruction. Parent Milaha Kalichi told the board that fourth grade at General Wayne had “a current enrollment of 105 students spread across 4 classrooms” and said the distribution left “no room for accommodating new enrollments without further straining the system.” Chishin Robin, speaking for a group of parents, cited research supporting smaller classes and said a proactive addition of a section would “protect the quality of instruction.” Another parent and behavior analyst asked the board to clarify the barrier preventing an additional section, asking whether the constraint was teacher staffing, classroom space or funding.

Board members and staff discussed how the district tracks enrollment and what data inform staffing decisions. A board member noted the district also consults municipal officials about housing developments — saying district staff meet quarterly with municipal leaders to learn about proposed developments such as Knickerbocker — and the superintendent confirmed those conversations occur and influence capacity planning. The superintendent added the district uses local birth‑rate data and third‑party projections to forecast enrollment and will present updated projections to the board in the fall.

Several parents described classroom dynamics they said are harmed by larger classes: lost time for presentations, fewer opportunities for individual attention and logistical strain on specialist teachers who travel between buildings. Parent Jessica Nowicki said her child’s class of 21 third graders already had limited time for end‑of‑year presentations and that adding more students would reduce participation opportunities.

The board did not take any formal action to add sections during the meeting. The superintendent said principals will finalize class rosters close to the start of school and that the district will continue to monitor enrollment and report back to the board. Several board members asked staff to provide follow‑up information requested by trustees, including projected enrollment changes from new developments and a fall presentation of the district’s external projections.

The superintendent and board emphasized supports already in place — special educators, aides, counselors and pull‑out/push‑in services — and reiterated that guidelines have been followed in most cases. Parents and some trustees pressed for clearer answers on whether an additional section could be added immediately at General Wayne, citing an unfilled classroom teacher position referenced during public comment.

No motion or vote on creating additional sections occurred at the meeting; the item remains under discussion and will be revisited with updated enrollment figures and the fall projection report.