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Parents, teachers press Missoula trustees over 30‑student third‑grade classes as budget talks continue
Summary
Parents and teachers urged the Missoula County Public Schools board to avoid scheduled third‑grade class consolidations at Chief Charleau, warning of academic and social‑emotional harm. Board members debated the costs and tradeoffs in upcoming FY26 budget choices, including the expense of paras and a teacher.
At the May 27 meeting of the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees, parents and teachers urged the board to reverse a proposed staffing plan that would leave two third‑grade classes at Chief Charleau Elementary with about 30 students each.
The concern was raised during the public comment period. Lisa Mackey, a Chief Charleau parent, said the district’s current plan would put “30 kids to a classroom” and asked the board to “dig a little deeper, think a little bit more creative, and not let this continue with this plan of cutting third grade teachers.”
Second‑grade teacher Susan “Sue” Ray told trustees she and two colleagues had tried and failed to place 59 students into two classes and described the group as having “needs unlike we’ve ever seen before.” Ray asked the board to give the students “at least one more year in a class of reasonable size” and…
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