Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Class Size topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Northwestern teacher urges smaller middle-school class sizes, cites 35-student averages
Summary
A Northwestern Academy math teacher told the board that his classes exceed contract targets and urged the district to prioritize smaller middle-school classes in staffing and budget planning.
Steven Hoffman, a sixth- and seventh-grade math teacher at Northwestern Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, asked the board during public comment on Sept. 22 to prioritize smaller class sizes at the middle-school level.
“We all know that every child who walks into our classrooms deserves not just access to education, but access to attention,” Hoffman said. He cited research on the benefits of smaller classes and described his current average class size for sixth grade as 35 students, with the largest class at 37.
Hoffman noted that the teacher contract calls for efforts to keep the average class size in middle school near 25, and he said his experience shows limits to effective differentiation and relationship-building when teachers are responsible for 35 or more students. He urged the board to consider class size as a priority in upcoming budget and staffing discussions to retain teachers and support student achievement.
The board did not respond during public comment; staff later discussed broader budget uncertainties and the district’s strategic priorities in the meeting.
