Class size changes?

Should the state scale back the class-size amendment, given current financial concerns?
Yes, it's too expensive to count kids in each class.
No, kids deserve smaller classes as voters mandated.

Thanks for participating in our weekly polls. Hope you enjoy them. Please send along ideas for new ones, along with any thoughts on the Gradebook, to solochek@sptimes.com. Here's how last week's question turned out.

We asked, "Should Florida reduce the size of its school districts?" You said:

• Perhaps, but politics and finances will never let it happen. 72 votes -- 40%
• Yes, they're too big and bloated. 69 votes -- 38%
• No, we don't need more superintendents and school boards. 39 votes -- 22%

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Comments

The problem with this mandate, Pat, is that it is in the Constituion. This is not a legisaltive mandate. It is a mandate of the people on their government. In many ways it was short sighted, but the people were mad that the Legisalture continued to underfund public education. They thought that they could force the Legislature to increase funding. The Legislature foiled the will of the people as they usually do.

[Pat Connolly]

My vote would be "yes" but not for the reason given.

The problem with the class size amendment is the same as most problems with legislatively mandated education programs. It sounds good, but is based on a one-size-fits-all approach rooted in an elementary school mindset, with minimal thought given to the implications.

A simple example might help explain. What if a high school has 30 students who want/deserve/need to take AP Calculus? Under CSR either you have to have 2 classes of 15 or tell 5 students they can't take the class. Current teacher allocation formulas and funding won't support a teacher with 2 classes that small, and who'll decide which 5 students get kicked to the curb? And what if a transfer student who was in this class comes to a school whose class is already filled?