Wachusett school committee highlights middle-school class-size disparities; preschool growth may require extra classroom

The Wachusett Regional School District committee spent the bulk of its meeting reviewing a district class-size report and discussing its implications for middle-school scheduling and preschool services. Dr. John Kroll, presenting the report, said the analysis is ELA-driven and does not include Special Education or English-language-development class counts, and he flagged persistent disparities in teacher caseloads across middle schools.

“K–12 class-size reporting in this format is ELA focused,” Dr. Kroll said, noting the report’s exclusions and the need for different reporting for special-education and ELD programs. He described differences in how middle schools structure sections and noted Mount View and Paxton have larger average caseloads partly because they teach six sections rather than five.

Superintendent Dr. Riley emphasized equity concerns and the link between schedules and student opportunity, warning that some students may be losing substantial instructional time: in places with an extra period, he estimated that students could be missing “around 1,000 minutes a year” in core subjects. The committee discussed possible responses, including schedule alignment, hybrid classes that pool students across towns, and vendor-supported schedule analysis.

District leaders also said preschool enrollment is increasing and that the district expects to open an additional preschool classroom midyear if referrals continue. “When you open a preschool classroom, it’s probably approximately between, you know, at least $300,000 because you’re not only getting a teacher you’re also getting a paraprofessional and in some cases an ABA para to help support the students in that room,” Dr. Riley said, warning of potential salary-line impacts.

Committee members pressed for more granular data—breakdowns by course level, distribution of students with IEPs/504s, and specific drivers of large class-size swings at individual schools—so the district can explain variances such as classes of 24 versus classes of 15. Dr. Kroll said the district can extract schedule-level data (CP/CPA/honors/AP) through its scheduling partner and will follow up with more detailed analyses.

The committee tied the class-size work to the district strategic plan (initiative 2C) and said it will consider proposals for middle-school changes this year, with potential follow-up proposals for the high school in later budget cycles. Members also noted external data partnerships—Central Mass Regional Planning Commission and a grant-supported relationship with an organization called Better Lesson—to validate enrollment projections and scheduling options.

Next steps: district staff will dig into school-level drivers of disparities, provide requested breakdowns, and report back as scheduling work continues and as preschool task-force conversations clarify whether to open a midyear classroom.