Parents and educators urge Saddleback Valley Unified board to cap elementary class sizes

Parents, teachers and union representatives pressed the Saddleback Valley Unified School District board during public comment to prioritize smaller elementary class sizes and more behavioral supports.

"Smaller class sizes for equitable learning is my priority," parent Shirley Lin told the board, arguing that classes of "32 in the lower grades, and up to 36 in the upper grades" make individualized instruction impossible. Teacher Devin Tescher said he framed the issue as "the 3 C's — class size, combos, and curriculum" and urged concrete contract language to limit combos and reduce site averages.

The concern was echoed across the public-comment period. Parent Mackenzie Medina said third-grade classes at one site run 29 and 28 students "excluding push-in and pull-out" supports. Caroline Spindler described her kindergartner as "1 in 31 in kindergarten," and Eric Jensen said his fourth grader was "in a classroom with up to 41 students for certain subjects."

Parents and teachers gave concrete proposals: a hard cap at the site band average plus one, a limit of one combo class per grade level, and hiring full-time instructional assistants dedicated to a single campus to respond to behavioral incidents without pulling certificated staff. Teacher and parent speakers also pointed to local assessment data: Nicole Sparks said Del Lago Elementary kindergartners in classes of 23 scored on grade level at a 90 percent rate on a recent diagnostic and that first-grade classes of 21–22 students reduced the share of students performing below grade level.

Saddleback Valley Educators Association President Mandy De Groot told the board that bargaining priorities already include class size and special education, saying the union wants to build conditions "to bring families back to SVUSD and ensure stronger learning outcomes for every student." She urged the board to consider site-average protections that include special-education students.

Several speakers also cited research or district data during their remarks. One parent referenced Project STAR, a randomized-class-size study, to argue smaller classes yield multi-year academic gains; speakers used that evidence to buttress calls for district-level policy or contract language addressing combos and caps.

Board members and staff acknowledged the concerns and noted budget constraints and the limits of local authority. Trustees asked staff to return the draft calendars and related information at the first June meeting so the board can further discuss trade-offs tied to attendance and revenue; a final calendar action was scheduled for the board's later June meeting. Multiple speakers urged formation of a task force: parent Eric Jensen asked the board to "immediately form a task force whose sole purpose is to, with state level concurrence, implement a plan for permanently reducing the average class size to under 30 students beginning with the 2025–26 school year." The board did not take action on that request during the meeting.

What happens next: the board and district staff will revisit calendar and staffing implications at upcoming meetings; SVEA indicated bargaining over class-size language is ongoing. The meeting moved to closed session at the end of the night.

Attributions: Quotes and data in this article come from speakers during the board meeting public-comment period and the SVEA report (speakers listed in the meeting roster).