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Parents say sudden breakup of Hulsing split class pushed third grades to 30 students
Summary
Several Hulsing Elementary parents told the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools board that a third-/fourth-grade split class was dissolved two weeks after school began, leaving three third-grade classrooms with about 30 students each and prompting calls for a new teacher and greater transparency from district administration.
Several parents of Hulsing Elementary students told the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Board of Education on Tuesday that a district decision to dissolve a third-/fourth-grade split classroom has left third-grade classes overcrowded and disrupted students’ routines.
“Thirty students in one class is simply too many,” said Sarah Fish, a parent of a third-grader at Hulsing, addressing the board during the citizens comment period. Fish said the district’s collective-bargaining agreement with the Plymouth-Canton Education Association (PCEA) lists 25 students as the desirable teacher-to-pupil ratio for grades K–3, and said the district provided no clear explanation for the timing of the change.
Parents who spoke said the split classroom had been working well and that dissolving it abruptly — two to three weeks into the school year — forced reassignments that increased individual class sizes and harmed learning. “My daughter described her new classroom as noisy, chaotic and disruptive,” said Jen Warmles, another Hulsing parent. Several speakers said the third-grade cohort at Hulsing historically has had four teachers through earlier grades and urged the district to hire an additional teacher for next year.
Other parents stressed the academic risk of sustained large class sizes in early grades. “Research consistently shows that students benefit from smaller class sizes,” said Joanne Hitt, a Hulsing parent, noting the Tennessee STAR research she said supports smaller early-grade classes. Parents asked the board for greater transparency about the enrollment data and the district’s decision-making process and asked district leaders to reinstate the split classroom or assign additional staff.
Board members did not take a vote on the matter during the meeting. District administrators present included Superintendent Doctor Merritt and other core team members who later presented the district’s dynamic plan and departmental priorities; no new staffing decision was announced on the record at the meeting.
Parents said they will continue to press the district for immediate monitoring of classroom conditions and for a plan to reduce third-grade class sizes for Hulsing students.
The board’s next regular business meeting materials and future meeting agendas will provide venues for parents and board members to request specific follow-up from the administration.
