Class size in Mapleton
unsettling for some parents
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — At the June 12 SAD 1 board meeting, three parents of Mapleton Elementary School third-graders voiced their concerns over the district’s plan to continue to have only one fourth-grade teacher next year.
Renee Guerrette said that many third-graders are accustomed to having 13-14 classmates, and called the projected 26-27 students in one room “a drastic change.”
“The decision to keep one fourth-grade classroom was made riding on the belief that several students would be moving and those numbers would be reduced to the numbers that the fourth grade has this year, around 21,” she said. “It was reported that this has been the ‘trend’ over the past few years. I believe our own school board members were led to believe that the numbers would be around 21. Presently, to my knowledge, there may be a possibility of one or two students moving, so our numbers are still over 25, and what happens if more students move in?
“We realize that Mapleton has been fortunate enough to have smaller classrooms, but even Zippel class sizes are around 21-22. Those clusters are provided with around two hours of Title I time, while Mapleton classes receive about 40 minutes per day,” said Guerrette. “It was also suggested that the Title 1 reading teacher would provide extra time in this classroom. While this is a good suggestion, what happens to her time with students in other classrooms?”
Guerrette urged directors to take action.
“I would like to request that a board member make a motion to discuss this issue. We, as parents, have made an effort to discuss our concerns and are committed to our children and hope that you are, too. We ask that you watch the numbers, the outward and inward movement of students, and reconsider this decision later in the summer,” she said. “We fear that this is the beginning of the dismantling of Mapleton Elementary School and we do not want to see this happen.”
Sue Sjoberg said after trying home-schooling and a local Christian school, her family felt Mapleton was a good option for her daughter.
“Mapleton is small and it’s safe. We love Mapleton and have nothing but good things to say, but to go from a class of 13 to a class of 27 is a big jump,” she said. “My daughter is a good student, but she’s fidgety. She’ll come home and tell me all the little things that happened … ‘So and so did this, and so and so did that.’ Instead of getting into science and math, I hear stories of all the bad things in school.
“While we live in Presque Isle, and we like that small setting in Mapleton, I don’t really know that we would just keep going to Mapleton in that situation,” said Sjoberg. “I’m not saying we would leave the district, but there are those considerations … what will we do for next year? I’m not sure if we would go back to home-schooling, go to Cornerstone Christian Academy or maybe even go to Easton where they have small class sizes. I know the budget is tight, but as parents, we just want what’s best for our children.”
Jolene Blake said she, like most parents who have children in the third grade, assumed that “since the class going to the fifth grade only needed one teacher that there would be another teacher added to the fourth grade (to keep the classroom size the same).
“When I was informed differently, I was more than a little concerned,” she said. “Twenty-five to 27 children in the fourth grade is a lot even for a teacher who is very experienced.
“I know there are other children who benefit from the small class sizes, and I — like the other parents — just want them to succeed and have a good learning experience,” said Blake. “I urge you to reconsider and place another fourth-grade teacher in Mapleton for the 2013-14 school year.”
Enrollment data from Sept. 10, 2012 showed that there were two third-grade classes with 14 students in each class, and one class with 22 fourth-graders.
Superintendent Gehrig Johnson said the district is well aware of the fourth-grade enrollment numbers, and will do what it can to help the situation.
“We will make sure the class size does not rise above the 27 scheduled at the present time, and it is very possible those numbers will decline by the time school starts in the fall as that has been the pattern we’ve been in for many years,” he said. “In any case, we have arranged for extra tech support as we have done in the past when individual classroom enrollment is higher.
“We understand that Mapleton has traditionally had lower class sizes than the other elementary schools in Presque Isle,” said Johnson, “and we will continue to monitor class size in Mapleton to ensure the educational needs are being met within the budget limitations that we are forced to deal with.”
