Several parents with children at Walnut Hills Elementary School attended last week's Waukee school board meeting to ask that leaders reduce the size of classes, the Des Moines Register reports.
Parent Katie Greving said the group wanted feedback from the school board about how many kids should be in a class, and shared concerns that rooms with 25 to 30 children in them harms students' ability to learn. Greving gave a document to board members with the names of about 30 parents who shared similar concerns, the newspaper said.
Susan Bunz, board president, told the parents research shows the optimal size is 15 students per classroom. But there’s little difference in the quality of education when there are between 16 and 30 students per class, Bunz said in the Register story.
Bunz and Superintendent Dave Wilkerson told parents that Walnut Hills is not the only school where parents think section sizes ought to be lower. The state’s funding formula for school districts -- which gives districts a set amount per pupil and is based on the previous year's enrollment -- makes it difficult for the district to reduce the number of kids per class.
Board members urged the parents to lobby state legislators to change school funding, the newspaper said, and Wilkerson will work with the group to share their concerns with legislators and find ways for parents to help teachers.
Board member Russ Wiesley, who will not seek re-election after 16 years on the board, said the parents should consider serving on the school board.
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