No cheap solution for overcrowded St. Charles classes

Parents of Corron Elementary School fourth-graders told a story in stark contrast Monday night to the many months of debate about what should be done to address shrinking enrollment in St. Charles schools.

While the district has a historically low kindergarten enrollment this year, Corron's fourth-graders are entering their fourth year with class sizes of 28 or 29 students. Parents told school board members and administrators they are tired of waiting for their children to get the same space to thrive that other elementary schools students have in the district.

"I asked my son: What do you think about your class?" said parent Stacy Rubly. "He said, 'It's just really crowded. When we go down to the rug and talk to our teacher, we don't all fit on the rug. We have to alternate who gets cold on the tile.' That almost put me in tears. They are just getting bigger and bigger. There's going to be more not fitting on the rug."

The anecdote served as an illustration of what half a dozen parents all agreed is a disparate reality for their children. The average elementary school class had fewer than 24 students last year. But the Corron fourth-graders have never experienced the interaction and attention a class of that size offers in their entire school careers, parents said.

"If these students had smaller class sizes, what kind of student-driven learning could they do?" asked parent Nicole Fraser. "I truly believe these students are being left behind. Their potential could be so much more if given the chance."

But Superintendent Jason Pearson shared a districtwide perspective indicating the Corron students aren't receiving disparate treatment, but their parents were requesting a disparate solution. Pearson said the Corron fourth grade is part of 25 sections across the district with 28 or 29 students.

That makes the solution much more costly than what Corron parents requested Monday. IllinoisReportCard.com lists the average teacher salary in District 303 as $63,500. Scraping the money together to add one teacher would be possible in the district's overall operating budget. But adding 25 new teachers, at that average salary, represents a cost of nearly $1.6 million. And that's the only non-disparate solution available to the problem the Corron parents raised, Pearson said.

"We would need to address all the class sizes that are 28 or 29 across the district," Pearson said. "It's not a perfect situation. We'll continue to make adjustments appropriately. It's something that we'll continue to work on."

Pearson said classes with a larger number of students get an enrollment assistant as well as a teacher. That works out to a 3-hour, half-day teaching assistant in those classes. Pearson said he realizes that's not the same as a hiring a teacher and creating a smaller class. However, it is the most cost-effective way to help ensure every student receives attention.

The first day of school is Aug. 23.