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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, September 20, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 7, 2004 Some parents are concerned about large classes at in the Medford school district this fall, but Kathleen Duffy believes her two children, including daughter Keely, 10, will do fine at Jacksonville Elementary School. Here, the pair check class lists. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Tight classrooms: Students get squeezed By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Last year, Karla Lyle sat through months of Medford school board meetings where district officials warned parents to expect larger classes and less help this fall. But the reality of the effects of more than $4 million in budget cuts didn’t hit home until she saw her son’s new class posting at Jacksonville Elementary School last week. There were 38 students on the fourth-grader’s list. In her second-grade daughter’s class, there were 35. "They told us it was only going to go up by one or two," said Lyle, of Jacksonville. "If they had told us it was going to go up by 10, I would have made other arrangements for my children. I don’t think I can live with 40 kids." Advertisement As classes resume in Oregon’s seventh-largest district today, parents, teachers, administrators and students will grapple with the aftermath of deep reductions. Obvious results range from the absence of teaching assistants and child development specialists in elementary schools to too few desks in high school classrooms. "As of Thursday, they were offering kids folding chairs," said Francie Ghidinelli, a language arts teacher who expects to supervise 219 students at South Medford High School this fall. That’s up from 160 to 180 students per teacher a few years ago. Since June, administrators have told parents and teachers to expect increases of about five students per class at the middle and high schools. They took steps to control growth in elementary classes by blending grades and eliminating a pilot program for sixth-graders. But parents like Lyle say there’s a big difference between a few extra kids and nearly a dozen. She believes district officials should have planned better at stable schools such as Jacksonville. "My son was in a class of 27 last year," she said. "Now he’s in a four-five blend (with 38 students). How much do you think he’s going to learn?" District officials have urged people with concerns to be patient. Projected enrollment for the year is flat, hovering at about the 12,299 noted on the district Web site in May. If there are high spikes in specific classes, they will be smoothed out in the first couple weeks , said Joe Frodsham, a Medford School Board member. "There will be shuffling of teachers, shuffling of students," he said. "There are no big surprises here." Typically, the district enrolls up to 500 new students during the first month of school, and many other students enrolled never show up, noted Dan Zaklan, director of secondary education. "It’s way too early to do anything," he said. In the meantime, however, some district teachers have asked whether higher individual class sizes will violate city building- occupancy requirements, said Phil Long, district director of curriculum and instruction. Medford regulations for classrooms require 20 square feet of space per occupant, said Don Taylor, the city’s commercial plan examiner. That means a typical 775-square-foot high school classroom could accommodate 37 students and a teacher. Larger elementary school classrooms of 900 to 1,000 square feet legally could handle more. Classrooms are checked twice a year for fire code violations, noted Debi Bisbee, a Medford Fire Department inspector. Complaints of classes exceeding city occupancy limits would spark an investigation, Taylor said. "If we overload a classroom and, heaven forbid, there’s an emergency, are we going to be able to get them out safely in the minimum amount of time so that nobody gets hurt?" he said. Medford school officials emphasize that they comply with every required safety code and try to build in extra room when possible. "Occupancy for most of our (elementary) classrooms is that we can take 45 or 50 students," Long said. "That’s theoretically, but we’re not going there." Safety aside, larger classes can’t help but affect the quality of education, teachers said. "It means that I’m going to have to have to think of my assignments differently. I’m much more aware on a logistical level than based on learning outcomes," Ghidinelli said. Her husband, Gary Ghidinelli, who teaches across town at North Medford High School, agrees. "With over 200 kids, it’s going to be hard just to be managing," said Ghidinelli, who expects to have 41 students in his advanced placement U.S. history class. Crowded classes leave little time to help students who fall behind or to challenge those ready to move ahead, teachers said. However, some students and parents believe that larger class sizes are not necessarily damaging. Emily Gross, a North High senior, said more students wouldn’t have affected her positive experience in Ghidinelli’s AP class last year. "I don’t think it will really matter because he made it so interesting and exciting," she said. Dedicated students will continue to succeed, said David Curtright, whose son Jonathan, a junior, is enrolled in Ghidinelli’s advanced class this year. "I know they can be a real problem when kids aren’t motivated," he said. "But larger class sizes aren’t too much of a problem when kids want to be there." Even at the elementary level, some parents and teachers are taking a philosophical view of the situation. Kathleen Duffy says her first-grade son should do fine in a class of 30, and her fourth-grade daughter will get plenty of attention in a special education class at Jacksonville Elementary. "They’re excellent teachers and the schools are always making excellent grades," said Duffy, who transferred her children this year from Jackson Elementary School. Teacher Jim Finnegan expects 37 sixth-graders at Jacksonville, the most he’s had in eight years of teaching. But he’s looked at the class list and thought about the children and figures he’ll just see how the year goes. "My feeling about the whole big picture is the voters of Oregon have spoken," he said. "We work for them. It’s not the fault of the School Board. Everyone’s working with limited resources." Such flexibility is welcome, said Zaklan, the district administrator charged with balancing enrollment to create similar-sized classes. "We’re going to start school on Tuesday and we’re going to see where they are and how they’re grouped," he said. "Whatever we do, it has to be done within the budget." School-day changes More kids in class won’t be the only change for parents and students in the Medford School district this year. Starting today, elementary schools will pare 15 minutes from last year’s schedules and school offices will close a half hour earlier than before, said Phil Long, district director of curriculum and instruction. All elementary schools will start at 7:50 a.m. First through third grades will be dismissed at 2:03 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Fourth through sixth grades will get out at 2:08 p.m. On Wednesdays, students will still have an early release at 12:54 p.m. The change eliminates about 44 hours of instruction time over the course of the year. "It’s only 15 minutes, but when you add it up over 176 days, it adds up," Long said. "It’s a consequence of not having enough resources." Offices will close at 3:30 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. Both changes are small efforts to allow teachers and office staff time for preparation and completion of work, he said. The reduction in instruction time brings the Medford district in line with state minimum standards, Long said. State law requires 405 hours for kindergarten, 810 hours for grades 1 to 3, 900 hours for grades 4 to 8 and 990 hours for grades 9 to 12. The district pared more than $4 million from last year’s budget, reducing the total to $73.5 million for the 2004-2005 school year. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities