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Teachers, parents and students urge Litchfield board to reject proposed class-size increases and cuts

Litchfield Elementary School District (4281) Governing Board · January 28, 2026
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Summary

During public comment at the Jan. 27 special meeting, teachers, parents and students urged the Litchfield Elementary School District Governing Board to abandon proposals to increase class sizes, cut planning days and reduce stipends—arguing those moves would harm instruction, safety and teacher retention.

At a special meeting of the Litchfield Elementary School District Governing Board Jan. 27, a steady stream of teachers, parents and students urged the board to reject proposed budget changes that would increase class sizes and trim school-level supports.

Leanne Migrae, a 17-year LESD teacher, said one proposal would save "approximately $579,000 by cutting some work days," but warned those days are used for "planning, collaboration, training, and preparing lessons that directly benefit our students." She added that proposed cuts to printers and ink would shift costs and burdens into classrooms where copiers already "have been offline half the year."

Parents and student speakers echoed that concern. Andrew Frazier, a Litchfield Park city councilman and parent, said increasing class sizes "not only puts undue burden on teachers, it also impacts the kids in the classroom" and urged the board to solicit parent input earlier in the budget process. Seventh-grader Hadley Harper said larger classes make it harder for teachers to notice who needs help; she noted her choir class currently has 44 students and asked the board to "please reconsider increasing class sizes."

Other public commenters raised related worries: Sherry Papworth, a PTO member, said some classrooms already exceed current caps and proposed raising rental fees for outside organizations that use district fields as a revenue source. Kai Iskara, a district teacher, warned that a 2% raise does not keep pace with inflation and that further class-size increases would worsen teacher retention. Michelle Schooler, a PTSA board member, framed special-education aides as essential and said cutting professional development days "only weakens our schools in the long term."

The public-comment period set the tone for the board’s subsequent budget study session. Board members acknowledged the concerns and asked administration for more detailed modeling of which grades and campuses would be affected by any change in class-size policy. Several board members said they were not ready to accept the modeled class-size increases presented later in the meeting.

The board did not take any action on the budget items at the meeting; public comment was confined to the allotted time and the session was framed as a study discussion for future decisions.