Parents raise alarm over proposed third-grade section reductions and larger class sizes at Lincoln and Jackson

Two parents urged Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 to reconsider planned reductions in the number of sections at Lincoln and Jackson elementary schools and the resulting larger classrooms during the public comment period of the May 20 meeting.

Michelle McArdle, a parent of a second-grade student at Lincoln Elementary, said she learned the school planned to remove one third-grade section for 2025–26. She said the change would increase class sizes by about 30 percent, from 20 to 26–27 students, and asked the board to reconsider. "There is a direct correlation between classroom size and learning," McArdle said, adding that Lincoln was built with neighborhoods designed for four classrooms and that making an exception for one grade level would reduce consistency within the school.

Kara McDyer, a Jackson Elementary parent and a teacher, raised similar concerns for Jackson, where an incoming class is shifting from four to three sections. She described the instructional and behavior-management challenges of larger third-grade classes, and said it would make it harder to support students with IEPs and English‑learner needs and could raise safety and supervision concerns in smaller classrooms.

Board President and district staff said the board would follow up with public commenters after the meeting. No immediate board action was taken on the enrollment or sectioning decisions during the session.