KINDERGARTEN: SHARP INCREASE FORECAST FOR CLASSES IN JACKSON

JACKSON - In addition to the unexpected defeat last week of the 35-cent tax levy, the Jackson School Board is faced with yet another problem: how to prepare for the estimated 300 kindergarten students that will start school in August.

As of Wednesday, 250 students are pre-enrolled for the 1992-93 school year. Joe Crain, director of elementary education, says by this time of the year, pre-enrollment would usually be at about 230.

"We enrolled 225 children on kindergarten enrollment day, (April 3) and the number continues to grow," Crain said Wednesday. "Normally, we expect anywhere from 190-200 children to be enrolled on enrollment day."

Crain said he expects another 40-50 students will be enrolled before school begins in August. "We're looking at over 300 kindergarten students on the first day of school," he said.

Crain said the reason for the increase is more young families are moving into Jackson and into the school district.

"Look at all the new housing that's going up in town and in the rural areas, and they all have kids," he said.

Crain said the district now has five fulltime kindergarten teachers and a part-time teacher that share 11 sections of kindergarten in the district's attendance centers. The current kindergarten class size is 25 students.

"We'd love to have between 20-22 kids in a class," said Crain. "But if the enrollment goes over 300, and the number of sections is not increased, we're looking at a class size of 28-30 students this fall."

Crain said it's important that kindergarten class size be kept as low as possible so teachers can devote more time to each child. "Younger children require more individual attention for learning," he explained. "What a child learns in kindergarten is the basis for what he will learn the rest of his life. There's an old saying that you learn everything you need to know in kindergarten. What a child learns in kindergarten sets the tone for that child's education for the next 12 years."

Crain said research also shows that smaller class size in kindergarten and the lower elementary grades is directly correlated to higher achievement. "If you've got 20 versus 25 kids in class, a teacher can spend one-fifth more quality time with each student, and that means higher performance by the student," he said.

Annette Wichmann, president of the Jackson Kindergarten Parents Club, said many parents of kindergarten-age children are very concerned about the large number of students entering kindergarten this fall. She said members of her group and parents of the 1992-93 Jackson PTO plan to meet next month with the school board to voice their concerns and discuss the problem.

"One kindergarten teacher position is a half-day right now," Wichmann said. "We would like for the board to make it a full-time position, which would lower the class size, and possibly hire one more fulltime teacher."

Wichmann said putting 25-30 kindergarten students into a classroom with one teacher and trying to teach them something is very difficult.

Crain said the class size problem isn't limited to the kindergarten. He said there is an overall increase in the number of students in the elementary and secondary school each year.

"In all grade levels, the Jackson School District is growing at about 10-15 kids per year," said Crain. "The problem we have now is trying to teach more kids with less state money. A case in point is at Orchard Elementary School. Last year at this time, we had 525 students. This year, with no increase in staff, we now have 555 students in Orchard, but there is no additional money to buy workbooks and supplies for them."

School Board President Jack Knowlan Jr. said the kindergarten enrollment dilemma facing the board is aggravated by the failure of the 35-cent increase in the tax levy.

"Without that money, it will be very difficult to add another section of kindergarten. If we stay with 11 sections, we'll be back up to 28 kids in kindergarten," he said. "Because kindergarten teachers have a morning and afternoon session, that mean's they will have at least 56 students in their classroom each day."

Knowlan said the school board worked very hard the past several years to reduce the class size of the kindergarten and lower elementary grades, including construction of Orchard Elementary School. "But now they are going back up, and the question is, what are we going to do about it?" he said. "How much is it worth to have 20 kindergarten students in a class instead of 30? That's where we're headed this fall. It's a shame that we're looking at having to make choices like this, but that's the decision we'll be making as a direct result of the levy not passing," Knowlan said.

Crain said the Jackson district has no "secret bank account" with a lot of money stashed away. "We are a very conservative district. There is not a lot of room for more cuts," he said. "We are now deficit spending because state funding has decreased while our enrollment and operational costs continue to increase each year."