Parents and trustees raise class‑size equity concerns as district reports first‑day enrollment

Pacific Grove Unified reported 1,673 active students on the first day of school and a projection of 1,701 for the 2025–26 school year, Assistant Superintendent Jordan told the board Aug. 7. Parents and trustees used the enrollment update to highlight a sizable class‑size disparity in fifth grade between the district’s two elementary campuses and asked the district to provide immediate in‑class support.

The board packet and presentation recorded that the district’s average elementary class size is 21.9 students but that specific grade‑level distribution varies by site. According to figures presented, Robert Down’s fifth grade had 61 students in three classes (reported class sizes: 19, 19 and 23), while Forest Grove’s fifth grade showed 58 students placed in two classes of 29 and 29.

A parent who identified herself as Shelley told the board the disparity represents a 43% increase in class size for teachers at Forest Grove compared with Robert Down and asked the district to hire an aide for each Forest Grove fifth‑grade class to restore equitable access to instruction: “It is not a small difference. It's a 43% increase to the number of students … in Forest Grove,” she said.

Why it matters: Class size differences can affect instructional time, the ability to differentiate for struggling learners and the workload of teachers. The parent petition asked the board to address the imbalance promptly to ensure comparable educational opportunity across schools in the same district.

District response and operational context: Assistant Superintendent Jordan and other leaders explained that enrollment remains fluid in the weeks leading into the school year; the district’s active‑enrollment count can differ from earlier projections because families add, withdraw or finalize residency over the summer. Jordan said it is routine for class placement and transfers to shift as final paperwork is completed and new families arrive.

Trustees and administrators noted short‑term staff resources are available to site administrators. Superintendent Dr. Adamson said the district had already engaged to provide support: staff noted the recent hiring of an additional special‑education itinerant teacher and a behavior specialist and reminded the board that site administrators can assign instructional aides where student need is greatest.

Discussion vs. action: no board motion was made to reassign teachers or to reconfigure classes at the meeting. Parents asked for immediate classroom aide assignments for the Forest Grove fifth‑grade classes; district staff said site leadership has discretion to assign aides and the district will monitor enrollment and resource distribution.

Ending: The board said it would continue to monitor enrollment and class‑size equity and that administrators will return with any planned reassignment or resource decisions if conditions change.