Community Corner
Teachers Get Help for Large Classroom Sizes at Doolittle
Instructional assistants have been assigned to all first-grade classrooms at Doolittle Elementary School to help teachers deal with an unexpected jump in class size.
A plan to add instructional assistants to all first-grade classrooms at Doolittle Elementary School was recently announced to help teachers deal with an unexpected jump in class size.
Superintendent Greg Florio said he spoke to a group of about 60 or 70 parents at Doolittle's PTA meeting last week who were upset about the large first- and third-grade classes.
In addition to the new assistants in first grade, Florio said he is assigning a full-time reading and math specialist to Doolittle who will focus much of her efforts on the affected classrooms.
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The specialist, former longtime Doolittle teacher Gail Duffy, had been splitting her time between Doolittle and Chapman schools. He said other supports would be provided at Chapman.
Florio said the district is not adding positions, but reallocating instructional assistant jobs that were open at other schools.
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Doolittle has felt the brunt of a surprise enrollment boom in the district, with 38 more students than projected registering over the summer. As a result, class sizes have reached 23 students in first grade and as many as 25 in grade three.
"I wish we could have said to those parents we are going to be adding a teacher at those grade levels. We are not," Florio said.
However, Florio told the Board of Education on Thursday that he and Principal Sharon Weirsman are confident that "this is a good plan and that those children will be successful."
"It's not ideal, but I think it will work," he said.
Florio said he would prefer class sizes "in the mid-to-high teens" for those grades. He said the district has cut 10 elementary teachers over the last three years based on dropping enrollment, but may need to add an elementary teacher next year.
Also at Thursday's BOE meeting:
• Cheshire High School Principal Kevin Ryan introduced seniors Kyle Pulek and Sarah Meakin, the school board's student representatives for the 2011-12 school year.
• Ryan also introduced the high school's new Student Resource Officer, Cheshire police Officer Lorin Webber. Ryan said Webber will be based at the high school but would also be working with Dodd Middle School.
