[Vision2020] MSD Student-to-Teacher ratio

[Don Kaag]

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Dale:

You are over-simplifying.

You have to know how statistics are arrived at in order to use them to=20=

realistically portray class size and teacher load.

What the District reports to the State is a simple average of total=20
number of certified teachers and total number of students in the=20
district.  It fails to take into account a number of factors, such as:

1. Certified teachers employed by the District in jobs other than=20
student-contact jobs.

2.  Teachers teaching such non-academic subjects as Band and Chorus,=20
which Moscow patrons have overwhelmingly supported.

3. Both gifted and talented and special education teachers whose=20
student loads per class period must be much smaller than the average=20
class in order to give more individual attention to students.

4. Scheduling problems which overload teachers in one class period and=20=

under-load them in others, especially at the junior high and high=20
school.

As an example, I have one U.S. History section of 19 students, and one=20=

of 26, which fills all of the desks in my classroom.  I have worked=20
with the counselors and the administration at the high school to get it=20=

fixed, but it is a complicated scheduling dance involving required=20
courses, electives, and when I and the other teacher teaching U.S.=20
History have our prep periods.  Last year this problem was solved by=20
hiring a part-time teacher to teach several periods of U.S. History. =20
With downsizing, that job went away, and we lost flexibility.

It isn't as easy as it appears, and very few teachers in this district=20=

are teaching 15.22 students a day (in the case of the elementary=20
schools...) or per period (at the junior high and the high school).

Regards,

Don Kaag




On Thursday, May 15, 2003, at 06:02 AM, Dale Courtney wrote:

> Visionaries,
> =A0
> Someone on this list once commented to me that in spite of the=20
> declining MSD student numbers (15% in 7 years), we should keep the=20
> number of teachers constant so that we can have the appropriate-sized=20=

> classroom ratios.
> =A0
> I pulled the string on that recommendation. Here's the results that=20
> MSD reported to the State of Idaho's annual statistical report for=20
> 2002-2003:
>
> =95 	MSD's student-to-teacher ratio is 15.22
> =95 	Of the 25 school districts with >2,500 students, only one =
(Blaine=20
> County) had a smaller ratio.
> =95 	Note: MSD reported 2,575 students in this report. They will fall =
to=20
> a third-tier school (<2,500) at the end of this year.
> =95 	Of the 54 school districts with >1,000 students, only one other=20=

> school district (Grangeville) had a smaller ratio (15.19).
>
> What does this mean? It means that MSD already had the 3rd smallest=20
> student-to-teacher ratio in the state.
> =A0
> FWIW, the state averages for large=A0districts=A0was 18.84, =
medium-sized=20
> districts was 18.04, and small districts was 17.88.
> =A0
> Finally, with the student population at MSD falling at a rate of 3%=20
> per year, we'll have achieved the lowest ratio in the state by the end=20=

> of next year.
> =A0
> Time to ask for more levy money to right-size those classrooms!
> =A0
> Best,
> Dale Courtney
> Moscow, Idaho

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Dale:


You are over-simplifying. =20


You have to know how statistics are arrived at in order to use them to
realistically portray class size and teacher load.


What the District reports to the State is a simple average of total
number of certified teachers and total number of students in the
district.  It fails to take into account a number of factors, such as:


1. Certified teachers employed by the District in jobs other than
student-contact jobs.


2.  Teachers teaching such non-academic subjects as Band and Chorus,
which Moscow patrons have overwhelmingly supported.


3. Both gifted and talented and special education teachers whose
student loads per class period must be much smaller than the average
class in order to give more individual attention to students.


4. Scheduling problems which overload teachers in one class period and
under-load them in others, especially at the junior high and high
school.


As an example, I have one U.S. History section of 19 students, and one
of 26, which fills all of the desks in my classroom.  I have worked
with the counselors and the administration at the high school to get
it fixed, but it is a complicated scheduling dance involving required
courses, electives, and when I and the other teacher teaching U.S.
History have our prep periods.  Last year this problem was solved by
hiring a part-time teacher to teach several periods of U.S. History.=20
With downsizing, that job went away, and we lost flexibility.


It isn't as easy as it appears, and very few teachers in this district
are teaching 15.22 students a day (in the case of the elementary
schools...) or per period (at the junior high and the high school).


Regards,


Don Kaag





On Thursday, May 15, 2003, at 06:02 AM, Dale Courtney wrote:


=
<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</par=
am><smaller>Visionaries,</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=A0

=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>Someone
on this list once commented to me that in spite of the declining MSD
student numbers (15% in 7 years), we should keep the number of
teachers constant so that we can have the appropriate-sized classroom
ratios.</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=A0

=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>I
pulled the string on that recommendation. Here's the results that MSD
reported to the State of Idaho's annual statistical report for
2002-2003:</smaller></color></fontfamily>


=95
	=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>MSD's
student-to-teacher ratio is 15.22</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=95
	=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>Of
the 25 school districts with >2,500 students, only one (Blaine County)
had a smaller ratio.</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=95
	=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>Note:
MSD reported 2,575 students in this report. They will fall to a
third-tier school (<<2,500) at the end of this =
year.</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=95
	=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>Of
the 54 school districts with >1,000 students, only
<underline>one</underline> other school district (Grangeville) had a
smaller ratio (15.19).</smaller></color></fontfamily>


=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>What
does this mean? It means that MSD <underline>already</underline> had
the 3rd smallest student-to-teacher ratio in the =
state.</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=A0

=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>FWIW,
the state averages for large=A0districts=A0was 18.84, medium-sized
districts was 18.04, and small districts was =
17.88.</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=A0

=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>Finally,
with the student population at MSD falling at a rate of 3% per year,
we'll have achieved the lowest ratio in the state by the end of next
year.</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=A0

=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>Time
to ask for more levy money to right-size those =
classrooms!</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=A0

=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>Best,</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>Dale
Courtney</smaller></color></fontfamily>

=
<fontfamily><param>Arial</param><color><param>0000,0000,FFFF</param><small=
er>Moscow,
Idaho</smaller></color></fontfamily>

</excerpt>=

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