Fourth-grade class size to grow in September

BRIELLE — The Brielle Elementary School Board of Education has announced that the number of fourth-grade classes will be reduced from three to two in the fall, raising the number of students in each classroom to 22.

“The rising grade four will have a special education teacher in one section and an instructional aid in the other section. This decision was made by looking at our total population of the grade, the percentage of IEP (Individualized Education Plan) students and the students would be heterogeneously mixed across the two,” Principal and Superintendent Stacie Poelstra said at the board’s most recent meeting, held June 26.

More than 50 parents attended the BOE meeting to voice their concerns over the proposed larger class sizes. There are currently 44 incoming fourth-grade students who were previously in classes of approximately 13 students.

The decision to increase class size to 22 stems from the board’s aim to place more staff in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms, according to Superintendent Poelstra. By restructuring staff, the board will add special education teachers in primary grades where there is currently no dedicated special education staff. Though there is an additional aid in each classroom, students in those grades who need extra support or have IEPs rely on a single, dual-certified teacher.

“The small class size here [at Brielle Elementary] has not produced a reduction in special education needs…my concern is that small class size in and of itself has not been effective in meeting our students’ needs to get to grade-level proficiency,” said Poelstra.

Poelstra gave a presentation during the meeting to explain the reasoning behind the board’s recent decision. She said the major factor impacting staffing is the school’s special education classification rate, which is nearly eight points higher than the state average, with 23.8% of Brielle students having IEPs, compared to a state average of 15.9%.

“With our classification rates being so high above the state average, it is clear that we need to do something else in order to provide this intervention so our kids’ literacy skills are at grade level,” said Poelstra, explaining that it is easier intervene with math and literacy issues while students are still within the “window of opportunity” in kindergarten and first grade.

According to Poelstra, the administration hopes to reduce the number of students who need IEPs by addressing issues earlier. “We are being reactive and not proactive, and we should try to be more proactive in order to address the needs of our students,” she said.

The incoming fourth-grade class has one of the lowest percentages of students with IEPs in the school. The teacher-to-student ratio will be 1:11 in each fourth-grade class with one section with a main teacher and instructional aid and the other with a main teacher and special education teacher.

“By grade four, we start to transition from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn,’ and if those early skills are not there, students will really struggle well on into their academic career,” said Poelstra. This is the district’s new approach to how it uses its resources to make sure students are on grade level by third grade, said Poelstra.

Brielle school psychologist Lisa Kenny, who is also part of the child study team, told The Coast Star that while small class size can be beneficial to childrens’ learning, it is not the only factor.

“I’m not really alarmed by the number (of students). I think it really was a very sound decision looking at a lot of different…resources and data,” said Kenny after the meeting.

Despite some controversy on social media following the announcement, Poelstra clarified that there has not been an increase in the number of administrators in the district. Though COVID-era grants are coming to an end, the board stated that the district has not had to make any cuts to staff and have already completed staff contracts for the upcoming year.

More than a dozen parents and community members spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, expressing various concerns about the increase in class size.

“I do not believe there’s anyone in this room that would argue against special education support in kindergarten and first grade. However, it should not negatively impact other students,” said Anne Eichner of Park Avenue, the mother of an incoming fourth-grader.

“My son was in a class of 13 this year and with this plan, he will be in a class of 22 next year…This drastic increase disregards the importance of individualized attention and support that our children need to thrive academically and emotionally,” said Eichner during public comment.

Asheley Krakowski, a parent of an incoming fourth-grade student, said there has been a lack of communication between parents and the school district.

“I asked for this information about the plan to increase class size in the fourth grade and Ms. Poelstra ignored my phone calls, emails and requests for a meeting…,” Krakowski said to the board and attending public.

In response, Poelstra said “To be clear, I sent an email to the entire parent community of this grade level informing them that I will be sharing information tonight, which I did.”

In addition, Poelstra told concerned parents “What I presented to you is a priority of needs. This is a fourth-grade class that will have two adults in a class of 22 students each, one to 11 ratio… The small class size here has not produced a reduction in special education needs, so therefore my concern is that small class in and of itself has not been effective in meeting our students’ needs to get to grade level proficiency.”