Summit Superintendent Clears Up Class Size Conundrum

SUMMIT, NJ - Super-sized classes have been a concern of parents whose children attend the Summit School District and Superintendent June Chang said he is aware of the concern and confusion and penned a message hoping to alleviate both.

According to Chang, the district targets an ideal class size around our average of approximately 21-22 students per class, and make every effort to stay within the policy guidelines for maximum class size.

That would be 22 for grades K-2 and 24 for grades 3-5.

"My goal is to keep our average class size stable. We do not favor larger class sizes and we are not looking to make class sizes of 25 our norm. We, too, are not happy that some of our classes have grown to exceed our guidelines. We will use the experience of this year to better inform our decisions as we look towards the 2019-2020 school year," Chang wrote. "Sectioning for 2019-2020 is not final, including the section reductions proposed in the budget."

According to Chang, additional sections will be added, and the proposed section reductions will not occur in any case where class enrollment is found to be at or above the policy guidelines for maximum class size.

"Therefore, I am making the commitment that NO ELEMENTARY CLASS SECTION will be at or above
our policy guidelines at the end of the sectioning process in August," Chang said. "These
decisions will be finalized over the summer. As in the past, we are able to accommodate
these potential changes in the current proposed budget."

The letter also included a frequently asked questions segment:

FAQ - CLASS SIZE

The Summit Public Schools is committed to providing the best for its students. Students
have been, and always will be, at the center of our decisions and we are proud of our
ongoing ability to provide a quality education for each child, in each school. This FAQ is
intended to provide information on class size decisions and how they are made.

Facts about current class size:

• Currently 77 sections in grades 1-5
• Average class size: 20.2
• Guidelines for maximum class size as established by policy: 22 (K-2) and 24 (3-5)
• 90 percent (69) of our sections are within guidelines
• 10 percent (8) of our sections are currently outside of the guidelines
• Of the eight sections, three are outside the guidelines due to building administrators’ prerogative to meet specific students’ needs, while five sections are outside the guidelines due to unexpected changes in enrollment.

Ideally, Summit would like to be near, or at, our class size average in as many
circumstances as possible. However, unpredictable fluctuations in student population
create situations in which difficult decisions need to be made about sectioning. Utilizing
22 (K-2) and 24 (3-5) as our guidelines for maximum class size (as established by Board
policy) has allowed us the flexibility needed to make strategic sectioning choices while
maintaining an average class size that has proven to be effective and sustainable. In
order to provide a deeper understanding of that process, please read the questions and
answers listed below.

1 . What process is used for sectioning at the elementary school level in
Summit?

In October, enrollment at each grade and each school is evaluated by district
administrators. The number of sections for a particular grade level is projected based on
targeted averages, enrollment trends, transfers, and the guidelines contained within the
district’s class size policy. Other considerations include highly qualified educators,
available classrooms, student achievement data, district resources, the availability of
support personnel, walk-throughs of classrooms, and reports from our school
administrators.

As the budget process and the school year progresses, we continue to monitor student
enrollment. Prior to finalizing sectioning decisions, projections are compared with
actual enrollment numbers, and adjustments are made accordingly. Final decisions
regarding class sections will be made during the summer. Once the process has come to
a close, or if the guidelines are exceeded during the school year, sections will not be
added, however additional support will be provided to impacted sections as deemed
appropriate.

2. How does district policy factor into the process?

All throughout the year we look at enrollment numbers and trends, and generally we
stay within the guidelines prescribed by Board policy. The policy states that it is at the
Superintendent’s discretion to make sectioning decisions based on the information
provided, trends, and projections for the upcoming school year. Every effort is made to
create sections within our guidelines. There are unique situations that may arise where
class sizes will exceed the guidelines.

3. Is it possible for budget constraints to impact sectioning decisions?

Sectioning decisions are first and foremost determined through careful consideration of
educational and operational needs in conjunction with the district’s policy guidelines.
Class size is a function of staffing to meet the needs that are present or estimated for the
following school year. Class size decisions at budget time are based on the information
available during this cycle of the school year. Once the budget has been approved,
changes to the number of sections offered are still possible. These changes may require
internal adjustments to the budget.

4. Once sectioning is complete in summer is there any flexibility in changing
sectioning decisions?

No. While efforts are made to stay below the maximum number of students in a class to
allow for the potential of a new student, it is conceivable that timing and the number of
students moving in could undermine those efforts. If the guidelines are exceeded during
the school year, additional support will be provided to impacted sections as deemed
appropriate.

5. Has the process for sectioning changed?

No. The current sectioning process has been used for many years, and our class size
guidelines have stayed the same. The policy has been effective in guiding administrative
decisions for the past nine years. The average class size during the 2015-2016 school
year was 19.1. The average class size projection for the 2019-2020 school year is 20.5.
This demonstrates that class sizes have generally remained the same over time.

6. What have we found to be the impact of classes that are sectioned at three
to four students above the average?

Our elementary education program in Summit is highly regarded and has proven to be
successful based on a myriad of different measures. Those measures include: teacher,
parent, and student feedback, state test scores, internal test scores, data compared to
similar districts, and the ultimate success of our students in the upper grades and
beyond. Our students have demonstrated success in each of our schools within a
variety of classroom configurations and settings due in large part to the quality of our
instructional staff. Nonetheless, above average class sizes are the exception, not the
rule.

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