The class sizes in Austin’s public schools are on target with those promised to taxpayers in 1995.

Thursday, September 16, 1999

The class sizes in Austin’s public schools are on target with those promised to taxpayers in 1995.

That’s what the Austin Board of Education heard at its meeting Thursday, when Candace Raskin released the first look at the district’s 1999-00 enrollment numbers.

The news pleased school board chairwoman Amy Baskin, who said of the elementary class sizes, "Those are great class sizes."

Contrarily, Baskin’s son happens to be in the largest class in the high school, a science class numbering 33.

Raskin, the district’s director for educational services, produced the numbers, which measure up well against the standard set in the 1994-95 school year.

In 1995, district officials promised voters that if a levy-override of $1.29 million annually over five years were passed, then class sizes would remain at the 1994-95 standard.

Only kindergarten numbers don’t fall below the 1994-95 standard, missing by a mere 0.3 students per classroom.

At Ellis Middle School, the average class size in sixth grade is 25-28, seventh 24-26, and eighth 24-26. Had the 1995 referendum not passed, class sizes in grades six through eight were projected to average 30-35 students per class.

Finally, high school class sizes are below the 33-39 projected if the 1995 referendum failed. Raskin didn’t produce detailed numbers on high school classes, but the aforementioned science class of 33 students is the largest. There are two of those.

"We’re really happy with classes in the mid-20s," said Austin High School principal Julia Espe. "We’re used to it."

Espe admitted that class sizes in the high school actually went up, because three full-time and two part-time positions were among the budget cuts in the middle of the 1998-99 school year. Those positions were not reinstated.

"We knew class sizes were going to go up," Espe said.

The two science classes of 33 are forcing students to share lab room and equipment, which is designed for 28 students.

Some other larger classes in the high school are awaiting textbooks.

"We have a number of social studies books to buy and science books," Espe told the board.

Espe also told the board that by collapsing some classes with low enrollments, the high school has been able to add more sessions of larger classes, thus reducing class sizes.

All told, five classes were collapsed and eight added since the start of the school year. The changes impacted nine teachers, who shifted assignments. Students in the collapsed classes simply took another class. For example, two sections of special needs health were dropped. The special needs students were placed in a mainstream health class.

"We can do that," Espe said. "They’ll be fine."

The teachers of those special needs health classes were reassigned to two added sections of sports and fitness, a class with large enrollments.