Parents and teachers warn of rising class sizes as enrollment jumps; board asks for cost estimate

Public commenters pressed the Winthrop School Board on Tuesday to address growing elementary class sizes as the district develops its FY27 budget. "We're putting a lot of children's education at risk," said Tricia Hitz Lafountain, a substitute teacher, who told the board she has observed fatigue among staff in kindergarten through second grade.

A parent, Amelia Arnold, told the board she was told last year the grade school had 371 students but that "now this year, I just learned tonight, it's over 420," an increase she described as roughly 14 percent; she urged the district to restore teaching positions rather than reduce a peak role to half time. "We should be prioritizing additional classroom teachers, not reducing any staffing," Arnold said.

The concern gained traction in the meeting's discussion. Board member Tim asked administration to calculate the cost to add a teacher at the grade school and to return with numbers at the next board meeting. "This is a lot of students in the classroom," Tim said, noting that some sections were "getting up into the twenties." Chair (name on file) acknowledged the constituent outreach and said the board had heard the request.

Administrators described staffing and enrollment dynamics but did not commit to specific hires that evening. Principal Dufour and Principal Violet explained that class‑size charts can be misleading when special‑education cohorts and shared staffing are considered; Dufour said some high‑school classes already swing between 5 and 25 students while the district is exploring shared solutions for ELL support.

The superintendent, Dr. Foley, noted that recent staff and benefit changes have modestly increased the proposed FY27 expenditures and invited community members to a March 19 budget forum to review details and ask questions.

The board did not vote on staffing that night; members agreed to have administration return with a cost estimate for adding a teacher and to discuss that figure at the next meeting.