4K class size upsets board member

The numbers of 4-year-olds per class at Cedar Grove-Belgium Elementary School this year caught the attention of one School Board member.

Aileen Dahlke at the Sept. 19 board meeting disagreed with the district putting 23 students in a classroom, especially since Principal Jeff Kondrakiewicz said some students have special needs that were still being determined.

“If these kids don’t like school right away, you’re going to have issues later,” Dahlke said. “That’s just crazy.”

Director of Special Education and Pupil Services Tamra O’Keefe said the students have “a lot of support” and those needing extra help are pulled out. The district doesn’t, however, have parental consent for special education referrals for some students.

Each 4K classroom has an instructional aide and the district’s early childhood teacher helps support 4K classes, Kondrakiewicz said. Additional support is provided for students via special education and for students in need of physical, occupational and speech therapy.

Given that, Kondrakiewicz said “23 is an acceptable class size.”

But Dahlke disagreed. “Not for 4K,” she said.

“I know that’s one we inquire about every year,” Board President Chad Hoopman said of the class size.

Supt. Jeanne Courneene said the district has adequate support for the 4K students.

“If we had to expand sections, we would have come to you immediately,” she told the School Board.

The district had six 4K students register since June 1, and Kondrakiewicz said the district knows little about the students’ abilities before classes start.