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Deerfield parents urge District 109 to add kindergarten assistants, citing burnout and learning concerns
Summary
Parents at the Nov. 14 Deerfield District 109 board meeting urged immediate hires of full-time assistants in Walden Elementary kindergarten classrooms and the addition of a fifth section next school year, saying current class sizes strain teachers and leave some children behind. The superintendent described the district's process for staffing and offered follow-up steps.
Parents of Walden Elementary students pressed the Deerfield Public Schools District 109 Board of Education on Nov. 14 to add full-time classroom assistants in kindergarten and to split large classes next year, saying current staffing levels are driving teacher burnout and harming student learning.
Kara Barris, a parent and educator, told the board that she met with school leaders and Superintendent Mike Simic but had seen no significant staffing changes. "You are willing to push teachers to their breaking points," Barris said, urging the board to "call a teacher" and hear firsthand how the class sizes affect daily instruction.
Grant Paris, another Walden parent, said surrounding elementary schools rank higher on state lists and contrasted those districts' staffing outcomes with District 109. "Even the greatest, strongest and most amazing teachers need assistance," Paris said, calling for assistants in each kindergarten classroom for the remainder of the year and a fifth section when students move to first grade in 2025–26.
Ben Sanders and Amy Cole echoed the request, describing students who return from class confused about assignments and saying that strategies that rely only on guideline thresholds are not addressing current needs.
Superintendent Simic responded that the district takes such concerns seriously and follows long-established class-size guidelines in conjunction with principal judgment and student needs. He said kindergarten guidelines generally fall around 22–23 students and that aides are assigned based on specific student needs rather than an automatic numeric trigger. "The key decision maker is the building principal," Simic said, adding that Assistant Superintendent Joanna Ford has spent time in the classrooms and that the district added counseling and occupational-therapy supports in response to identified needs.
Simic encouraged parents with individual concerns to raise them first with classroom teachers and then with principals; if those discussions do not resolve the issue, he invited parents to contact central office. Board members thanked speakers for bringing their concerns; the district said it will continue monitoring classrooms and respond to emails and requests for follow-up.
The board did not vote on emergency hires at the meeting. Next procedural steps were not specified beyond the administration's ongoing monitoring and recommended parent follow-up with staff.
