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Parents, students press board over larger class sizes at Bear Tavern; district signals short-term moves, long-term limits
Summary
Parents and students told the board that kindergarten and primary classes at Bear Tavern Elementary have reached 24–25 students; district leaders said they are shifting new students where possible and preparing redistricting options but warned that budget limits make higher class sizes likely across the district.
Dozens of parents and students pressed the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education about rapidly growing class sizes at Bear Tavern Elementary School, saying some kindergarten and primary sections already have 24–25 students.
At a series of public comments and during budget discussion, parents described disparities across the district: “Tollgate has classes capped at 16–18; Bear Tavern has kindergarten classes of 24 and 25,” parent Erin Groger said. Multiple speakers said the district’s growth from new housing — including recent developments near ShopRite and Scotch Road — has concentrated new students in the Bear Tavern attendance area.
Superintendent Dr. Therese and district staff described short‑term steps the administration is already taking: shifting newly registered students where possible, adding bus routes where routes and cost permit, and exploring redistricting options to rebalance enrollment. “We already have been rerouting some of those students to Stony Brook,” Dr. Therese said; she cautioned that long bus rides and geographic constraints limit how many students can be moved without other tradeoffs.
Board members and administrators warned that, even with short‑term moves, the district is confronting a systemic funding constraint that may raise class sizes across all elementary schools. Business administrator Robert Colavita reiterated the budget reality: “Most of our budget — 79 percent — is staffing. We are just hitting the upper limit.” Board members said larger class sizes could not be avoided without new revenue or cuts elsewhere.
Parents asked the board for transparency on enrollment numbers and redistricting plans and urged the district to prioritize the Bear Tavern community while municipal negotiations over funding for an addition continue. Several parents said they had requested clearer, quicker communication from the district and asked the board to make data on class size and classroom square footage available.
Administrators said they would continue to present updated enrollment spreadsheets and redistricting options in committee and to the full board. The district recommended families follow official district communications and attend upcoming finance and facilities meetings for the next steps.
