Published March 11, 2010

Board takes first look at estimated class size, staffing needs for 2010

By Pamela Lannom
plannom@thehinsdalean.com

   The number of certified staff members in Community Consolidated Elementary District 181 is expected to shrink slightly for the 2010-11 school year.
   The preliminary recommendation was presented at Monday night’s board meeting. Associate Superintendent Mary Ticknor emphasized that the enrollment and staffing figures are early projections.
   “I will underline and reiterate and bold face the word estimate,” she said.
   Total enrollment for 2010-11 is expected to be 3,896. Monroe and Prospect are the largest elementary schools with 443 students each. Elm is the smallest at 224.
   Elm also has the smallest projected class sizes. Estimates show two first-grade classes of 14 students each, one kindergarten section with 14 and another with 15.
   The largest classes are in fifth grade at Madison School, with three sections of 27 students each.
   “There’s a possibility that enrollment may increase,” Ticknor said. “I also believe there’s been some pending enrollment at The Lane as well.”
   Hinsdale Middle School expects 767 students for the upcoming school year, and Clarendon Hills Middle School anticipates 626. There will be an average of eight sections for each grade level at CHMS and 10 at HMS, Ticknor said.
   Class size guidelines were strictly followed in preparing the report, Ticknor said. The maximum is 26 students for kindergarten through third-grade classes and 27 for fourth- and fifth-grade classes.
   Projections call for staff reductions of the equivalent of 4.38 full-time teachers in general education at the elementary and middle schools. The board agreed to eliminate the positions earlier this year as part of $1.8 million in budget cuts.
   Another 5.8 FTEs are “in contingency” and may be needed based on enrollment, scheduling or other factors, Ticknor said Tuesday.
   “I think we will end up using most, if not all, of that 5.8,” she said.
   Julie Liesse, parent of a sixth-grader and vice president of the PTO at HMS, spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting about class size at the middle school. Next year the school will feel the full impact of the board’s decision two years ago to redistrict students from The Lane, who had attended CHMS, to HMS.
   “On behalf of our children, I hope that you will be an advocate for them as the plan is set for next year to ensure HMS students a quality level of education worthy of District 181 with enough teachers, space and resources to make that happen,” she said.
   District leaders also have received a petition from parents of third-graders at The Lane asking for an additional section. The recommendation now shows two sections at 26 and one at 25.
  Staffing for special education teachers and social workers will be presented later this spring.