By Kim Siebert MacPhail
At the November 5 School Committee meeting, Superintendent Jon Sills presented enrollment growth figures, statistics about student population diversity, and projections about how current trends might affect future hiring.
“I want to give an update on the trends we’re seeing and what our preliminary thinking is in terms of what that’s going to mean for FTEs (full-time equivalent personnel),” Sills said to frame the presentation.
“The aggregate [student] population between FY04 and FY14 has grown from 2249 to 2541—almost 300 children—in 10 years,” Sills began. “Pretty dramatic is the change in who our children are.”
According to Sills’ research, the low income portion of the student population in 2004 was 2.4%; in 2009, low income students made up 7.3% of the total, and in the 2013-14 school year, 13.2%. Similarly, English Language Learners increased from 1.1% in 2004 to 5.1% in 2014. The African-American and Latino student population made up 11.1% of the total in 2009; the percentage is now 13.8%. In 2004, the total non-white student population was 17.5%; currently, it’s 28.8%.
“Almost 30% of our student body is now non-white,” Sills said. “That’s a real change and it’s a wonderful change in so many ways. It used to be that the significant diversity was at the high school because of our multiple populations at Hanscom, METCO and Bedford. Now, when you walk into any classroom, you really notice a complex student body. This has tremendous benefits for all our children, and it also presents new learning challenges.”
Sills also presented class population numbers, noting the 202 student “bubble” in this year’s kindergarten class as well as the relatively small 2014 graduating class [188 students] at the high school.
“Next year, all four high school grades will be in the 200’s for the first time in 15 or 20 years,” Sills said.
To address student populations at three of the four schools and to return class sizes to recommended learning-group sizes, Sills presented an analysis of additional FTEs needed next year.
Davis: To adequately serve 8 or 9 kindergarten classes, 10 first grades, and 8 second grades, Davis School will need 2 additional classroom teachers, a 0.1 in Art, and a 1.5-2.0 in ELL (English Language Learner) support.
John Glenn Middle School: In total, the school will need an additional 0.8 FTE, primarily to address overpopulated classes in art, music, tech ed, and wellness.
Bedford High School: Enrollment is projected at 900 to 920 students in FY15. Without additional FTEs in Math, Science, English, and Foreign Language there would be 41 major subject sections over 25 students and 25 minor subject classes over 25 students, Sills said. 32 Level 3 classes –purposely kept at 18 students due to the need for individualized academic support—would be over the limit.
“These are just not supportable numbers,” Sills emphasized. At the high school, we don’t just mean 26 students [rather than 25], it will be 27 and 28.”
The preliminary recommendation for Bedford High FTEs is 1.0 in Science, 1.0 in English, 1.0 in Math/Computer Science, 1.0 for World Languages, 0.6 in PE/Health, 0.2 in ELL and 1.0 Teaching Assistant for Directed Study support.
“This is not an exact science, but it’s pretty close because we have a lot of history with these numbers and we can predict how each level will be affected based on present numbers in the lower grades,” Sill said.
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