PARENTS FRET OVER AIDE CUTBACKS

School administrators recently notified some kindergarten teacher's assistants they will not be rehired for next year. The classroom aides help kindergarten teachers manage their classes and teach subject matter.

Superintendent Dan Steska said the decision to reduce the number of assistants from 10 to five in the district's five elementary schools would save some $50,000 that could be spent to hire another reading recovery teacher for elementary students and on other budget items.

"We just have to try to balance the overall needs versus the expenditures," he said.

Some parents, however, think the bottom line should not be considered in this situation. Gail Meyer, whose son attends kindergarten at Alma Schrader Elementary School, said kindergarten teachers need help to deal with the emotional and educational development of their young students.

"I know what it's like to take care of a little person, and the teachers do need the help," said Meyer. "I think these people that make these rules need to set in a classroom and see what's going on."

Meyer has not approached school officials on the subject, but she knows at least 30 parents as well as some teachers who share her concerns.

The cuts will mean one assistant to help as many as three classroom teachers in some cases, an unsatisfactory ratio in Meyer's opinion.

"I don't think there should be more than 10 kids to one teacher, as far as five- and six-year-olds are concerned," she said. "From my observance of the classroom myself and seeing how much my son has learned with two adults in the classroom, I know every extra adult helps."

Steska said kindergarten teachers shoulder a lot of responsibility daily in terms of supervision and instruction. While the staff reduction will mean fewer adults in each classroom, the district will still meet state standards for class size and supervision.

Missouri sets a minimum standard of 25 children to a teacher in kindergarten, first and second grades. The desirable standard for the same grade levels is 20 students to each classroom teacher.

Student enrollment in a single classroom may increase by up to 10 students if a full-time assistant is employed, and by up to five students if a part-time assistant is hired.

Steska said the district has been outperforming desirable standards, and will continue to meet desirable student-teacher ratio of 20-to-1 next year.

"We plan to meet the desirable standards or better in every classroom," he said. "As soon as that number passes that standard by one student, we plan to hire an assistant."

The promise is more than is being offered in some area school districts. In Jackson School District, for example, there are no teacher's assistants working in elementary grades and student-teacher ratios are near 25-to-1 in most cases.

Fred Jones, Jackson schools assistant superintendent, said the situation is not the best, but students are learning. Parent volunteers also work to help teachers meet classroom needs.

"I've never been a kindergarten teacher, but there's got to be a special place in heaven for all primary grade teachers," Jones said. "It's not possible all the time, but where it's possible, we try to have the most teachers per grade we can provide."