Parents of elementary school students in the Port Washington School District raised concerns about large class sizes at the school’s board of education meeting on Tuesday, April 8.
At recent budget meetings, Port Washington Interim Superintendent Christopher Shields said the district’s proposed 2025-2026 budget would allocate funding for up to three new full-time positions, prioritizing hiring elementary teachers to lower class sizes by about one student.
At the April 8 meeting, elementary school parents like Chi Ma said the funding allocations aren’t enough to address long-term issues regarding class sizes in elementary schools. Ma asked the board to look into lowering class sizes by two students.
“While the additional resource is in the right direction, it does not address the issue of class sizes directly as a policy maximum is not meant to be a target,” Ma said.
Other parents also said the district should consider future trends in class sizes as apartment projects in villages, including in Manorhaven, begin planning and construction.
Board of Education President Adam Smith said the district isn’t looking to change its policy of lowering its class size maximums, which are 23 students for grades one and two and 26 students for grades three through five. Instead, he said the district could consider lowering class sizes through budget measures.
Trustees like Emily Beys agreed with community members’ concerns about class sizes. Still, Beys said she recognizes that changes for the upcoming year are limited to how much the district could allocate in budget changes.
Beys said while lowering class sizes by up to two students would be ideal, the district’s budgeting to reduce class sizes by one student would be a happy median for now.
Following the board’s discussion on class sizes, Shields also gave an update on his time as the district’s interim superintendent since his appointment in November.
Shields said that during his five-month tenure, the school board has achieved some of its goals, including creating a district professional development plan and implementing the iReady mathematics curriculum program across Kindergarten through sixth grade.
Another of the board’s goals during Shields’ tenure includes cultivating a positive school culture. Shields said the district has been developing a common understanding of students’ sense of belonging through a survey, which the board will present its findings at a later date.
“Port Washington is an amazing community in which to raise our children,” Shields said. “I’m committed to making it even better, not just for some, but for all of our students.”
The Port Washington Board of Education’s next meeting is Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Schreiber High School auditorium. At the meeting, the board is scheduled to adopt its 2025-2026 budget, which residents will vote on on May 20.
