Whether California's popular and highly effective class-size
reduction program will survive the state's current budget crisis
should be of grave concern to all parents with children in the
state's public schools.
Glendale Council PTA -- with more than 9,500 members at 26
district schools -- believes a flexible approach to class-size
reduction implementation is the best way to maintain continuation of
this program and its benefits for the maximum number of students.
Otherwise, schools in communities without the ability to raise large
sums of money for their specific children could lose out entirely.
Local and regional PTA efforts to get the California State PTA to
consider supporting flexibility in reduction implementation appear to
be paying off. Delegates attending this week's annual PTA convention
in Sacramento likely will consider an emergency resolution, jointly
sponsored by our Glendale Council and the Yorba Linda Council, which
calls for the California State PTA, its units, councils and districts
to sponsor legislation and urge policy-makers of California to
maintain the 20:1 class size reduction program with flexibility that
allows a schoolwide average that does not exceed 20:1 for each school
year, and with no individual class to exceed 22:1.
Furthermore, we are recommending revision of the current, harsh
penalty phase and urging a commitment to full funding of the
class-size reduction program.
The California State PTA has long been strongly committed to the
concept of reduced class size for all students, especially for
children in kindergarten through third grade. Glendale Council PTA
supports the state PTA's dedication to reducing class sizes in
California, which has among the largest classes in the nation.
However, California is facing an unprecedented budget shortfall.
Due to the magnitude of the problem, school districts are faced with
developing strategies for the difficult financial years ahead. This
will require significant reductions in overall expenditures. Roughly
two-thirds of school districts report taking money from other program
areas, including libraries, after-school programs and professional
development, to cover the cost of class-size reduction.
In the current financial crisis, school districts may simply
choose to opt out of this program, with its high costs and little
flexibility.
Consider the following. The GUSD board voted during its March 4
meeting to notify teachers of possible layoffs due to the rollback of
