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Jersey Shore Area SD board weighs adding teacher as second grade faces high number of students needing reading support
Summary
Board members raised concerns about second-grade class sizes and student reading needs at the June 9 meeting; staff were asked to return with options, including hiring a teacher or aides, using fund balance or shifting students to other schools.
At the June 9 meeting of the Jersey Shore Area School District Board of School Directors, board members debated whether to add a teacher at Jersey Shore Elementary (JSE) after hearing that the incoming second-grade cohort includes multiple students with special education needs and many identified for intensive reading support.
Board member Mrs. Thomas said the district provided figures showing seven students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 38 students identified for intensive reading services among the second-graders. She said current second-grade class rosters were 24 and 25 students and argued the concentration of students needing extra reading support made adding staff worth considering.
The discussion matters, board members said, because second grade is a pivotal year for reading instruction and remediation. "For our students to give them that — I'm not saying the teachers won't work — but 25 is a lot in second grade," Mrs. Thomas said. Dr. Ulmer, the superintendent, provided enrollment reports and class-size guideline ranges for the board: kindergarten 15–21, grades 1–2 17–25, and grades 3–5 22–30.
Board members and staff discussed several options rather than taking an immediate vote. Dr. Ulmer confirmed the district can reassign students under existing assignment policy if a school has no room. Board members also asked about less costly alternatives such as hiring a classroom aide, moving students to Avis school, or absorbing a new hire through future attrition. One board member noted an estimated additional teacher cost of about $100,000 and asked whether that would come from the district's fund balance; the staff reply was that it likely would be drawn from fund balance if added outside the adopted budget.
Members agreed to defer a final decision and asked Dr. Ulmer to present a short menu of options at the next board meeting, including estimated costs, whether physical classroom space exists at JSE for an additional class, and the pros and cons of aides versus a new teacher. Several members asked colleagues to "mull it over" and to return with a clear yes/no preference at the next meeting.
No formal motion to hire a teacher was made or voted on during the June 9 meeting. The board's direction was to continue discussion with staff-provided options at the next regular meeting.
The meeting also included historical enrollment data provided to the board showing that, in several past years, typical maximum second-grade class sizes were generally under 25 and often in the high teens or low 20s; speakers cited that when arguing for caution about expanding class sizes without additional staff.
Board members said they will revisit the item at the next meeting after receiving the options requested from Dr. Ulmer.
