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Walden parents urge District 109 to reduce kindergarten class sizes, propose aides and splits
Summary
Multiple parents and educators told the Deerfield School Board that current Walden kindergarten classes of 22, 22, 22 and 23 exceed best practices, urging the district to add full-time assistants and consider splitting classes in future years; the board heard but took no formal action.
Parents, educators and board members traded emotion and data Wednesday as several Walden families urged Deerfield Public Schools District 109 to act on large kindergarten class sizes.
"Right now at Walden, the class sizes in kindergarten are 22, 22, 22, and 23," said Kara Barris, a parent of a kindergartner and second grader at Walden and a longtime educator. "Having class sizes this large, you are setting up teachers and students to fail your mission."
Barris told the board she would have spoken earlier had she known the numbers before the year began and argued that kindergarteners need more adult support for social, emotional and academic development. Other speakers echoed that point: Sagit Sanders said about five-year-olds, "They're 5. They can barely wipe their tushies," and called for additional classroom support. Amy Cole, a former kindergarten teacher, described years when classes were split to restore manageable sizes.
Several speakers proposed concrete steps. Barris asked the district to hire full-time classroom assistants for each kindergarten section and to split classes into smaller groups when those students enter first grade in 2025–26. Parents and educators also asked the board to review district-wide maximum class-size guidelines and benchmark District 109 against neighboring districts.
Board members listened and thanked speakers. President Montgomery encouraged parents to follow up with administration for more detailed conversations but did not offer a formal motion or timetable for a staffing or policy change during the meeting.
The comments add to ongoing staffing and facilities conversations in District 109. At Wednesday's meeting the administration provided an annual enrollment report and described facility and planning work elsewhere on the agenda, but no binding action on the Walden requests was taken at this session. Parents said they will continue to press for concrete staffing adjustments and policy changes before the next school year.
