Morning Read: School cuts “stuff” classrooms

The Glens Falls Post-Star profiles a school in Lake Luzerne, where one class jumped in size from 11 kids to 30.  Students sit elbow-to-elbow in crowded classrooms.

Officials say a class with 30 is manageable, but they don’t want to see it higher.

“It’s the maximum I would ever want to see in a class,” said Principal Patrick Cronin. “I’m not comfortable with 30, but it’s being maintained.”

The district laid off 18 employees last year, sparking the larger class sizes.  Read the full article here.

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9 Comments on “Morning Read: School cuts “stuff” classrooms”

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  1. Bret4207 says:

    Did they cut sports, music, art? Are there still extra curricular activities for students and teachers? Is there still construction underway or proposed? New equipment or hardware or (gack!) computers? If so, they have no room to complain.

  2. TurdSandwich says:

    Isn’t 30 kids in a class average? 11 kids seems like a small class.

  3. marquil says:

    The Post-Star made a bit of a campaign out of getting voters to reject the H-L school budget last year, editorializing on what it deemed excessive school taxes. They characterized the budget as “obscene” and “anti-citizen” even though a majority of taxpayers at the public hearing to establish the budget called for more programs, not fewer.

    I suspect the Post-Star is delighted by the result of its hard work.

  4. Bret4207 says:

    My wife tells me 30 is way too many. 18-20 is supposed to be about right.

  5. Brian says:

    Bret: Actually I believe they cut all modified (middle school) and JV sports.

  6. Fred Goss says:

    I began elementary school in the Fall of 1947 in a suburb of Phila…we had 30-33 kids in a class…6th grade added a 3rd section and dropped to 22…and the school system provided us supplies, paper, pencils, erasers etc. free. I wonder how they did it. The school also had regular classes in art and music and varsity athletic teams at that level…I even had a special class in “posture correction.”

    I dont remember my parents and neighbors bitching about school taxes, of course I was probably too young to have been paying attention. One thing I can think of is that my teachers, with one exception, were all unmarried women (choosing that over nursing as the professional careers opportunity generally available to women in those days) and were being paid peanuts.

  7. BRFVolpe says:

    Yes Fred, in my hometown school too. Do we want to go back to those days when married women were fired solely because their husbands had jobs? I hope not.

  8. Pete Klein says:

    The state and feds need to eliminate all mandates, including free and reduced breakfasts and lunches.

  9. Fred Goss says:

    I wasnt suggesting a return to the “old days” just wondering how they did it all those years ago…in addition to cheap labor it occurs to me that the school had no minority enrollment, no remedial or enrichment classes..no special education at all (excpet perhaps my posture class) and the principal (Miss McMorris) had a secretary but no Asst Principals, Curriculum Specialists etc.

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