A special School Board meeting has been called for Tuesday night at 7 o’clock to decide on budget cuts.
Class-size issues are on the agenda. Public comment will have to be taken on class-size issues. (Public comment was not taken on class-size issues at the last board meeting.).
The current proposal to increase the average class size by 5 or 6 students at Culver City Middle School and Culver City High School would put many of our classes at over 40 students, well beyond the number many teachers have said they can teach effectively.
One teacher described such an increase as turning a teacher's job into crowd control. Others have echoed this sentiment. Hopefully we can get some teachers to come to this Board meeting to explain the ramifications of adding so many students to their classrooms.
We need you, teachers.
Once class-size gets to the place that teachers can't teach our kids effectively, what is the point?
Is anything more important a school does than making sure our teachers can teach their students effectively?
This is the moment, on unfortunately very late notice, to be heard on class-size issues.
Can we jam our secondary school classes past the breaking point?
Can we even consider raising class size in K-3 and cutting the K aides at the same time?
Should we run large numbers of split-grade classes and/or ship elementary students between schools?
What about Advanced Placement classes? If class size and other budget cut items are important to you, please attend the special School Board meeting this Tuesday night.
All budget cuts will be on the agenda.
The Board took public comment on all proposed budget-cut items except class size at the last Board meeting.
But, for the most part, the School Boardhas not yet voted on what to cut.
There are many very important items on the budget cut list that will be decided Tuesday night.
I encourage everyone to attend. Nothing we are discussing is inevitable.
So far, the special Board meeting is scheduled to held at the District Office 4034 Irving Pl., Culver City, the building between Santa Maria Barbeque and Lin Howe Elementary School, in Downtown.
Mr. Gray, a Culver City parent, may be contacted at grayusa@sbcglobal.net
