Mr. President and Members of the Council:
I sat here one year ago today and requested that this Council allocate sufficient funds to the Montgomery County Public Schools to support the ever- growing needs of the school system. I am here again tonight to make the same request.
My experience as a parent of a second grader and kindergartner at Burning Tree Elementary School, is that the current budget is not enough to reduce class size to a desirable level. My daughter is in a 2nd grade class of 25. Even though 25 students is within the guidelines of Montgomery County, research shows and the School Board has recognized that it is not the most effective or efficient way to teach early learners the basics of reading, writing and math. At these student/teacher ratios, teachers can not possibly devote individual attention to these young learners. Members of this Council and the Board are well aware of the current data, specifically the Student/Teacher Ratio (STAR) Project in Tennessee, documenting that students in small classes consistently scored higher on achievement and basic skills tests throughout their academic career. With such important data in hand, this Council must take a stronger leadership role and truly support the School Board's efforts to reduce class size immediately.
This County's Reading Initiative Program is a very good beginning, but it is just a beginning. In its first year only 54 schools have been targeted to implement this bold new program. However 69 additional elementary schools have classes at the 1st and 2nd grade levels far above the Reading Initiatives guidelines of student/teacher ratios of 15:1. This Council and the School Board are well aware that it is only with the implementation of these greatly reduced student/teacher ratios that reducing class size will have any impact on our students.
Furthermore, preliminary data of enrollment as of September 30th shows 64 classes with combination classes in the elementary grades. Combination classes are not a satisfactory remedy for oversized classes.
The problem of class size continues to exist throughout the County. I know it is costly to reduce class size, but as parents, teachers, administrators and elected officials, we must all work together to resolve this countywide problem. We must hire qualified teachers and find adequate space to reduce class size to a level where it will really make a difference to the students in this County. If this County fails to put all of its resources now into reducing class size, I am afraid that the long term impact of oversized classes will be costly, and significantly damage the longstanding reputation of Montgomery County's public school system.
We cannot and must not put our children and the citizens of Montgomery County at risk. We need to recognize the significance of this problem and begin to develop a strategy to reduce class size and implement a budget that will sufficiently address the problems of our school system.
Thank you for your time.