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Superintendent: district fully staffed; average class sizes remain below administrative guidelines
Summary
The superintendent told the board the district is fully staffed for the start of the year and reported average class sizes (K–2: ~19–20; grades 3–4: ~22–23; Highcrest ~23; WJHS ~25). The administration reiterated administrative guidelines (upper limits: K–2 = 24; grades 3–5 = 27; grades 6–8 = 29) and agreed to return comparative data after state report cards are published.
The superintendent reported to the Committee of the Whole that, following late hires, the district is "well staffed, completely staffed" for the start of the school year and that the administration has been monitoring registrations through the summer to ensure appropriate class coverage.
She provided average class-size figures: K–2 class sizes average about 19–20 students per class, grades 3–4 about 22–23, Highcrest averages about 23, and Wilmette Junior High School averages about 25 when fully enrolled. The superintendent said these averages are below the district’s administrative guideline upper limits.
The administration reiterated the district’s administrative guidelines for homeroom-class upper limits: no more than 24 students in K–2, no more than 27 students in grades 3–5, and no more than 29 students in grades 6–8. Board members asked whether the guideline is published; administration said it is an administrative practice rather than a formal policy and offered to make the guideline more accessible in printed reports and to include a clarifying tagline that the number is an upper limit, not a target.
Board members requested comparative data with neighboring districts after the state report card is published in October; administration agreed to return in November with a reconciliation and any requested comparisons.
Next steps: the administration will provide class-size and enrollment comparisons after state data is available and will add clarifying language to future reports so the public can find the guideline.
