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District recommends adding elementary FTEs to reduce class size; board and union express support
Summary
Administration proposed allocating three held FTEs to elementary classrooms plus a fourth FTE funded by retirements to lower average class size; board members and the Fort Washington Teachers Association praised the move.
Port Washington — District administrators recommended on Aug. 5 that three full-time equivalent (FTE) positions held in abeyance during the 2025–26 budget process be allocated to the elementary level, and that an additional fourth FTE be funded from unanticipated retirements to keep class sizes closer to the district’s optimal ranges. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Shields presented updated enrollment and section data, reporting districtwide pre-K–12 enrollment of 5,131 students and an incoming kindergarten class of 347. He said the administration increased general education elementary sections from 113 to 117 and that average elementary class sizes now range between 18 and 20 students depending on the school and grade. The nut graf: the proposal aims to promote parity across the district’s elementary schools and to align class sizes with the board’s class-size regulation; the administration framed the extra FTE as a one-year allocation enabled by savings from recent retirements. Dr. Shields told the board the three FTEs originally held in abeyance were meant to support one of several priorities: elementary class size, a middle-school guidance counselor, or high-school financial literacy staffing. After reviewing class-size data and regulation-derived optimal ranges, the administration recommended directing all three to elementary staffing and adding a fourth FTE to maintain class sizes closer to the targeted ranges this year. Board members responded supportively in discussion. Trustee Rachel Gilliard and Trustee Jessica Milborne thanked administration and noted the allocation improves parity across grades and schools. Regina McLean, president of the Fort Washington Teachers Association, told the board during public comment that the association had been advocating for smaller class sizes for seven years and urged the board to consider lowering the policy maximum in future reviews. Ending: administration emphasized that future budget cycles could require different decisions and said staffing choices must be revisited annually as enrollment and resources change.
