Subcommittee refers hiring of up to six teachers and paraprofessionals to full committee to address rising class sizes

The Fall River City Special Education, Alternative & Early Childhood Subcommittee voted May 29 to refer to the full committee a motion authorizing the superintendent to add up to six teachers and up to six paraprofessionals to address projected class-size increases driven by inclusion of students from substantially separate special-education programs and recent new enrollments.

Committee members said the measure is needed because district tracking shows growing numbers of students who “push in” from specialized classrooms into general education settings, and sudden late enrollments — including 18 new enrollments in May, only four of which could go into full inclusion — have strained available classroom capacity. “We do anticipate the need to open four additional classrooms at the elementary level,” a staff member presenting class-size data told the subcommittee.

The presentation noted improvements in how the district records push-in students in its student information system (Aspen), which now flags students who will spend part of the day in general classrooms so planners can count them when projecting class sizes. At Spencer Gordon (first grade average projected at 23; second grade projected at 28 under current assumptions), presenters said the district builds capacity by anticipating push-ins so a room listed as 20 students may functionally include five additional students during parts of the day.

Committee members pressed for near-term action on space and staffing. Presenters said they are exploring moves such as relocating four to six prekindergarten classrooms out of elementary buildings to free rooms for general-education and special-education sections and hoped to have firm space recommendations within about a week to bring to the committee. The subcommittee discussion identified both classroom space and hiring dollars as constraints; members referenced recent unexpected district funds and asked administration to identify funding sources before the full committee vote.

The referral motion — to authorize the superintendent to seek approval from the full committee for up to six teachers and up to six paraprofessionals as needed — passed on a voice vote. The subcommittee also agreed to treat the matter as time-sensitive and requested placement on the next full meeting agenda.

Why it matters: If additional classrooms and staff are not secured, some general-education classes are projected to exceed target class-size thresholds once push-in students are counted, which may affect instructional models and service delivery for both general and special-education students.

The subcommittee asked administration to return with clearer projections (including a column showing projected class size under district caps), a plan for which pre-K classrooms would move, and a funding plan with identified sources and timelines for hiring and space work. The superintendent’s office flagged that some decisions will affect budget lines and collective-bargaining units and will be referred to the full committee with legal and finance staff present.

The subcommittee discussion also included a related referral asking the full committee to request a city update on Opera/ARPA funding for the Pay Center project; members said city-level allocations should be transparent because they affect available school capital options.

The subcommittee did not adopt a final staffing hire during the meeting; the referral empowers the superintendent to seek the full committee’s approval for the hires and any required budget adjustments.