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Parent warns of overcrowding at Dagg Middle after proposed elimination of temporary teaching position
Summary
A parent told the Wallingford Board of Education that eliminating a one-year temporary teaching position at Dagg Middle School will cause core class sizes to exceed recommended limits and directly affect more than 200 students; the superintendent said the district is monitoring enrollment and may add staff in August if needed.
A parent urged the Wallingford Board of Education to reconsider eliminating a one-year temporary position at Dagg Middle School, saying the change will push class sizes above recommended guidelines and directly affect more than 200 students in the incoming seventh grade.
Megan Scotto, speaking during public comment, said Dagg accommodated a large cohort this year by using one five-core-teacher team and one four-core-teacher team. The proposal to revert to two teams of four core teachers, she said, would result in classes “over the maximum recommended limit” and would leave encore classes already oversized. “This elimination of this temporary position does impact over 200 students directly by putting them in overcrowded core sizes,” Scotto said.
Superintendent Belizzi responded in the administrative report by restating the district’s class-size guidelines: kindergarten through grade 2 — 21 students (guideline); grades 3–5 — 23 students (guideline); grades 6–12 — 25 students (guideline). Belizzi said the district monitors enrollment throughout the summer and sometimes adds teachers in August when a “bubble year” demands another section; the superintendent identified Dagg’s incoming seventh grade as approximately 207 students and said that, if needed, the district would consider adding staff prior to the school year.
Board members and staff said they would continue to monitor numbers and that final staffing adjustments are typically made in August as enrollments stabilize. No formal motion was made regarding the temporary Dagg position at this meeting.
