Watchung Hills board reviews budget outlook and class‑size data as state aid awaits
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Summary
Superintendent Doctor Jewett told the board state aid numbers are expected March 10; administrators are preparing the budget and reviewing class-size reporting methods, clarifying the difference between average classroom size (~21 students) and audit staff-to-student ratios that include counselors and aides.
Board members spent extended time on budget planning and class‑size questions while the district awaits state aid figures expected March 10.
Doctor Jewett said the administration is still assembling the budget and is "working on the cuts," with internal discussions ongoing. She described the district's process for producing a section-by-section list that will show enrollment per section so the board can identify small 'singleton' courses and consider minimum-enrollment thresholds (the administration suggested raising a minimum from 15 to 17 or 18 to provide a cushion when students drop). She said those are "philosophical conversations" for budget time and that the principal and the director of counseling will be pulled in to add notes to the section list so board members understand the instructional context of smaller classes.
Members noted apparent discrepancies in published ratios. One board member cited the audit report's figure of a 1:8.6 ratio; Doctor Jewett and others clarified that the audit ratio often reflects a staff‑to‑student calculation (counselors, nurses, aides), not a classroom teacher‑to‑student classroom-size number. Doctor Jewett said the district's average class size is about 21 students and that she has directed staff to prepare and share a precise section list showing actual section enrollments so the board can review outliers.
The board discussed programmatic trade‑offs: whether to continue low‑enrolled electives, how to treat classes with multiple certified staff or instructional aides, and the need to weigh legal requirements for special education classes that impose maximum sizes. No formal budget vote was taken; the administration said it will return with the detailed section list for board review ahead of final budget decisions.
