St. Louis Park parents worry class sizes are negatively impacting learning

St. Louis Park parents worry class sizes are negatively impacting learning Richard Reeve KSTP Some St. Louis Park parents say crowded classrooms and less classroom support are making it harder for students to learn. Parents and teachers raised concerns with school staff about class sizes and the lack of paraprofessionals at the kindergarten level. They said teachers are struggling to meet students’ needs. “What’s the concern about having a lot of kids in one classroom?” 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS asked Jenny Lalos, a parent and former kindergarten teacher. “It’s a lot harder to manage, and then it’s harder to meet the needs of all the learners where they are, especially without extra support in the classroom,” Lalos said. The district said elementary classes have between 21 and 25 kids. District days shows some middle school social studies classes can have 35 students; theater choir can have 40 and some high school physics classes have 38 students. Parent concerns “One person trying to manage a classroom of 20 to 23 students, that can be kind of difficult,” said parent Leah Hollingsworth. “I think about what’s the experience of a kid sitting in that room to get their needs met, and what’s the experience of that teacher wanting to know how is every kid in this classroom understanding the material and how can I respond to all of them?” added Erin Rath, a mom of three. Parents also said there are no paraprofessionals at the kindergarten level for the first time. They said that raises concerns about both learning and safety in classrooms with young students. “I mean safety,” said parent Shannon Whicker when asked about her concerns. “I think a teacher’s ability to teach that many 5-year-olds is a real concern when they don’t have an extra set of hands in there.” The district told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that data from a study shows most classes are at or below class-size targets. A spokesperson also said there has not been a reduction of paras at a school site, but the title of ‘kindergarten paras’ has been discontinued to give school principals more flexibility.