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Teacher urges board to stop class consolidations, says district is sitting on reserves
Summary
At public comment, Brummer Elementary teacher David Price warned that split classes and consolidations harm students and questioned the district's decision to hold a roughly 15% fund balance instead of adding sections; he said third‑grade sections reach 27–28 students and estimated district reserves around $20 million.
David Price, a teacher at Brummer Elementary, used the board's public comment period to press the district on classroom consolidations and large class sizes.
Price said third‑grade classes in his building this year ran 27, 28 and 28 students and that the district plans to create a split class next year that would combine grade levels. "Students with behavior issues are not generally the students that can handle these types of environments," he told trustees, arguing that split classrooms and consolidations were being driven by financial choices rather than students' needs.
Price said the district's general fund balance is "around 15%" and suggested the district was holding money instead of adding sections. "The way I see it, we're sitting on roughly $20,000,000 of profit," he said, asking why those funds were not directed to schools with high class sizes.
Trustees responded with brief comments after the public comment period; one trustee offered to meet with Price to review finance committee details and explain budgeting constraints, including state funding timing and restricted uses for some dollars.
No action was taken during the meeting; trustees encouraged further dialogue and noted budget complexity and statutory constraints on funds.
The board will continue its budget discussions in committee and at upcoming meetings as part of the normal fiscal cycle.
