District 303 parents worried about class sizes, overcrowded schools

St. Charles District 303 parents are concerned that individual student needs are not being met as the district's elementary school class sizes increase.

That's one of the top concerns raised as part of the district's new community engagement plan - Listen Learn Return. The district held in-person listening sessions recently to learn more about residents' concerns, and those who were unable to attend one of the listening sessions had the opportunity to fill out a digital survey.

Participants talked about the challenges facing the district, the opportunities for growth and what they were most proud of within the district.

Another top concern from parents is that there are not enough rooms/facilities to support the needs of the growing student population, in addition to overcrowded middle school buildings. Concerns were also raised that the school year is too long and that more measures need to be put in place for students with known/repeated behavior issues.

Chief Communications Officer Scott Harvey said 222 people participated in the in-person listening sessions.

District staff and students also participated in the community engagement plan. Staff members voiced concerns about teacher salaries not being competitive, as well as a lack of respect for teachers and their ability to effectively meet the needs of students.

Harvey said the district plans to identify the key concerns and develop action steps to address the concerns.

"There are some things that we might be able to say, 'We've got a handle on this. We have a direction already,'" he said. "And then there will be others that we'll say, 'We need a little more feedback from participants or at least give them a draft of where we're at and then provide more opportunities to engage.'"

School board member Matthew Kuschert appreciated the effort that is being made to hear from the public.

"We've certainly received some feedback from the community that sometimes they don't feel like they have a voice, so I applaud your willingness to open up those other avenues of communication," he said. "Opening up additional channels I think is really important. And it helps us as a board to ensure that we are representing the public and what they need."

Superintendent Paul Gordon, who started with the district in July, said he enjoyed engaging with the public during the in-person sessions.

"The opportunity to engage community members was one of the most powerful aspects I thought of the Listen Learn portion of these conversations," he said.

Board member Jillian Barker said class sizes and overcrowded schools are issues that need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

"I know I'm hearing it a little more out in the community," she said. "And several of us have kids in schools that are in the red or approaching red."

In August, the school board approved hiring a demographer that will do both an enrollment study and a capacity study as part of efforts to develop a comprehensive long-range Educational Facilities Master Plan.

"We should be receiving the demographer's study and the space utilization study hopefully in that February timeline, which will really launch that next conversation," Gordon said.