Board hears class-size pressures and special-education caseload concerns

At the Lebanon Community School District 9 board meeting, the superintendent reviewed the district’s biannual caseload report and raised concerns about class-size pressures and stretched special-education workloads.

The superintendent told the board the report tracks recommended class sizes and school-level support plans created by principals. “Extra prep is one of them, and… one that we often do at the elementary level is extra instructional assistant support. So more time with another adult in the classroom,” the superintendent said, describing the district’s main short-term response to overloaded classrooms.

She identified Lacombe and Hamilton Creek as having particularly large class sizes and said Riverview has a large cohort now in third grade. On counselor staffing she reported Riverview’s enrollment at 423 students and said the school currently has one counselor, above recommended ratios for that site.

The superintendent also said several special-education teachers are above recommended caseloads and described supports in place: “They get 10 extra days in there that they can take off to do paperwork, with a get a sub. They also get a stipend,” she said, and reported the district uses a retired special-education teacher to assist newer staff with paperwork.

Board members asked whether the district uses a strict numeric threshold to add a teacher. The superintendent replied there is no single black‑and‑white number beyond safety limits and local staffing practice, but said when numbers justify another teacher (for example, roughly 25 over a cap in some situations) the district would consider adding staff.

Next steps identified in the meeting included continuing principal-driven support plans, monitoring caseloads for special education and counseling, and returning to the board with updates.

The account above is based on the superintendent’s presentation and the board’s questions at the meeting.