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Rural principal urges delay to Act 73 class-size timeline, warns small schools could suffer
Summary
The principal of a 53-student K–8 rural school told the Senate Education Committee that the Act 73 class-size timeline should be delayed to allow local reconfiguration, resource alignment and impact analysis; he described long bus routes, multi‑grade classrooms and a recent community engagement process.
Tim Mulligan, principal of the New York Street School in Kingdom East, told the Senate Education Committee that the timeline for implementing the Act 73 class-size minimums should be delayed to avoid unintended harm to small rural schools.
"Effective lasting change can't be rushed when a policy as significant as Act 73 is pressured by an aggressive timeline," Mulligan said, describing his school of 53 students in multi‑grade configurations and the district's ongoing local planning to reconfigure K–5 and 6–8 assignments between neighboring communities.
Mulligan described concrete operational constraints: his building is renovated and fiscally efficient, roughly half his students attend via school choice, and he currently is the school's bus driver on a route that can exceed an hour. He said some nearby facilities could not absorb additional students without further capital investment and that reassigning students could lengthen routes and create safety and staffing issues.
He urged the committee to allow time for local collaboration, an impact analysis that uses available three‑year data, and alignment of state resources such as construction aid before implementation. "We ask that you grant us the time necessary to continue our transition thoughtfully rather than forcing a timeline that risks the quality of education that our students have earned," he told senators.
Why it matters: Act 73's three‑year rolling average for class-size calculations can change funding and configuration decisions for small districts; witnesses noted the metric has effects beyond simple classification, including on district budgeting and property tax implications.
The committee indicated it would hear additional testimony on implementation and guidelines; no vote or final decision on implementation timing was recorded during this session.
