Board awaits report on elementary class sizes

The numbers could lead to a discussion of whether to redraw boundaries for the seven buildings.

The Board of Education is waiting for a report on class sizes before deciding whether to consider redrawing any boundaries for the Kingston school district’s seven elementary schools.

The report is expected within about a week.

Superintendent Paul Padalino said most of the elementary schools have 22 or fewer students in K-3 classrooms, which is in line with district goals.

He noted, though, that Harry L. Edson Elementary School, on Merilina Avenue in Kingston, has 23 students per classroom in grades kindergarten through three.

“We’re talking right now about adding some teacher assistant help in those classrooms because, to be honest with you, we don’t have any more room,” Padalino said. “So I couldn’t expand to another classroom even if we wanted to.”

Padalino said class sizes also are above the target level at George Washington Elementary School, on Wall Street in Kingston, because that building’s Montessori program includes several age groups per class and has teaching assistants to cover the larger number of students.

“We have a lot of conversations to have about how we are using are facilities as far as districting and redistricting our students,” Padalino said. “We’ve started looking at that in earnest from ... equity level to distributionof-students level.”

Padalino said the may parents might react to changes will be taken into consideration.

“There’s been some kind of Holy Grail lines that aren’t crossed for certain schools,” he said. “... We need to start thinking about how we’re cutting up our school zones. That’s part of what we’re discussing right now.”