Letter to the Editor

Class sizes are too much

Sunday, June 1, 2008

To the Editor:

Jackson Township is a wonderful school! My two oldest children have attended the last two years and have done wonderful! I have had no complaints.

The teachers, principal, and all the other staff are wonderful!

However, my youngest son will be starting Kindergarten in the fall and before the school year has even started, there are already 27 children in each of the Kindergarten classes and I am sure there will be more children that will register before the summer ends.

These class sizes concern me greatly! If it is a government mandate that "no child be left behind," how can one teacher adequately manage, teach and nurture a class of this size?

When I called the Superintendent's office, I was told there is no law on the ratio of students to teachers in an elementary classroom.

The decision is left up to the Superintendent and the school board members. In fact, the person I spoke with seemed surprised that I was even concerned and told me not to worry that nothing is final until August. I will not wait until August as suggested for a final decision.

We as parents need to speak up now because I fear if no one does, there would be 30 or more children in each Kindergarten classroom in the fall.

I am requesting that all concerned parents and grandparents check to see how many students are enrolled in your child's class for the fall and take necessary action.

Specifically, those parents of Kindergarteners at Jackson Township. Please call the Superintendent's office at 443-4461 and voice your concerns.

Superintendent Dan Schroeder and the school board are the only ones who can fix this problem. This should also concern parents of younger children who will attend school in the next few years -- a class of 30 or more could be the "normal" class size if we don't express our concerns now!

Please call and bring to their attention your desires for an added Kindergarten teacher at Jackson Township because you don't want your child left behind!

The next school board meeting is June 5 at North Clay at 7:30 p.m.

Leeann Abbott,

Brazil