Class size threatens U-46 contract

Elgin Area School District U-46 teachers on Monday will weigh in on the first teacher contract in district history to address the issue of large class sizes at the high school level.

But some teachers have called the class size provisions inadequate, citing them as a reason to reject the deal.

A group of teachers recently urged the 2,400 union members to vote "no" on the three-year pact, which school board members already have tentatively approved. The teachers cited the proposal's failure to reduce class size as grounds to return to the bargaining table.

The tentative contract does not include a class size cap but would provide each high school with at least two full-time teaching assistants to be employed when class sizes become excessive.

Teachers have complained that two aides per school won't provide much relief.

"Class sizes are huge, all over the district," said Elgin High School civics teacher Leigh Bailey. "The twig they've offered … is a joke. They might as well save the money and put it into something else. I can name probably more than 10 teachers … who have one or more classes that have exceeded their alleged 'staffing guidelines.' "

U-46 staffing guidelines call for a 30-to-1 student-teacher ratio in most regular education high school classrooms.

Elgin Teacher Association President Tim Davis acknowledges that aides won't eliminate excessive class sizes, but said the proposal offers "a way to begin to have the district account for those large class sizes."

Class numbers

Just how large those large high school classes are isn't entirely clear.

Crowded classrooms have been a major issue for teachers and parents alike even since the district instituted massive staff cuts in 2003.

At the elementary school level, district guidelines guarantee an aide if a class is larger than 32 students. The guidelines also call for smaller class sizes at schools with high concentrations of low-income students.

This school year, about 12 classrooms throughout all 50 U-46 elementary schools have more than 30 students, according to the district. The largest is a fourth-grade class at Timber Trails Elementary in Hoffman Estates with 33.

Last year, 26 classes had 31 to 33 students.

The picture is murkier at the high school level, where districtwide class size data is not always readily available.

"I know it's surprising to hear that, but for some reason, it's a struggle," Davis said of recording high school class sizes. "I know they want to do better with it, because there's a story there."

The story at the high schools varies subject by subject, school by school and period by period.

In the core academic subjects, U-46 has two high school classes with 42 students, one with 37, five with 35, six with 34, 20 with 33, 28 with 32, and 61 with 31, according to district data.

In total, about 170 out of 3,800 classes in the core high school academic subjects have more than 30 students, the district's target class size for regular courses. Academy courses and courses for students with special learning needs have lower class size goals; physical education classes have higher.

The proposed contract defines an "excessively large class" as any class with 110 percent or more students in a classroom than the annual staffing level guidelines would dictate. This year, at least 34 high school classes in core academic subject areas would meet that definition.

Teachers with "excessively large" class sizes would be allowed to petition for an aide, though the contract makes no guarantees the aide would be provided.

Money an issue

Davis acknowledged that some teachers are disappointed that bargaining teams did not manage to negotiate a class size cap.

He added that members must be realistic about the district's financial situation. U-46 employs about 2,440 teachers, according to union statistics, 160 fewer than before mass layoffs in 2003, when the district found itself in a $40 million financial hole.

The average cost, with salary and benefits, of hiring a new teacher is about $60,000, according U-46 Chief Financial Officer John Prince.

The district frequently emphasizes the challenge of hitting a class-size bull's-eye.

Administrators must consider state and federal regulations, financial realities, enrollment fluctuations and space availability before assigning classrooms.

Schools with high concentrations of poor students receive federal funds to reduce class sizes; by law, bilingual classes must be smaller than regular classes; the U-46 student population is highly mobile, often arriving after registration is complete; and, a district memo noted, "classes don't always come in perfect sized groups."

Ultimately, Davis said, the issue shouldn't be reduced to a debate over staffing levels.

"It's not simply about the number of bodies in a room," Davis said. "It's being able to provide the right level of service no matter what issues a student may have."