Why ARE PWC Schools over-crowded?

One of my husband’s favorite sayings is “Captain Obvious” when someone says something so incredibly, well, obvious.   There are parents in the PWC community that have suddenly come to the realization that our class sizes are woefully too full, so full, that quality instruction is being jepoardized.   PWC school has reached the state’s legal limit for class size.

PWCS raised class sizes to the state limits this school year in response to current budget constraints. In the executive summary of the 2014 budget, Walts notes that reductions of teacher staffing ratios (or increases in class sizes) have led to savings of $4.3 million at the middle-school level and $5.3 million at the high school level. Walts also notes that next year’s budget does not restore those cuts.

In response to concerns about class sizes, Walts’s office has said it would cost $15 million annually to reduce average class sizes by one student at all levels. The Code of Virginia sets the following maximum class-size limits: 29 for kindergarten classes; 30 for grades one through three; and 35 for grades four through six. English classes are limited to 24 in grades one through 12, otherwise there are no state maximum class-size limits for grades seven and above, according to Dena Rosenkrantz, an attorney with the Virginia Education Association.

Here is a newsflash–when parents turn out to support high density developments like Avendale and Stonehaven, they are contributing to the the very problem they find themselves at a later date advocating against, large class room sizes and high taxes.

I have used this analogy ad nauseum, you cannot lose weight by eating more sundaes!  You cannot get control of over crowded classrooms by being a beggar to developers who “kindly” offer school sites!  This just in, a school site does not build a school, taxpayers do!  A school site does not pay for teachers, taxpayers do!

Why suddenly NOW are we hearing about the horrors of over crowded classrooms? The county implemented the state standard for classroom sizes last year, where was this outrcry then?  Classrooms have been overcrowded for at least five years.

Could it be parents are noticing because a pool is being built at a school mid county?   For once,  there seems to be an actual advance plan to deal with a problem.  Let’s not use overcrowded classrooms for political convenience.   Let’s not squelch advanced planning.  It happens so rarely in this county.

Here are the issues I see.  We have a lack of recreation facilities, whether it be sports fields, open space parks, or  swimming pools.  We haven’t even been able to get a night sky observation field for those who wish to view the heavens.  We need to address these issues as a community concern for schools AND residents.  We might need to build a community center AND put a pool in the new high school.

Let’s address classroom overcrowding as that–overcrowding.  Let’s talk about needed recreation facilities both in communities and schools as that.  Let’s stop rubber stamping every development that comes down the pike.  Some skimpy parcel of land that cannot be developed is not really a gift.  It’s a piece of land.  The tax payers will still pay to build the school and pay  the teachers to teach the children.  Those 2 facts seem to be forgotten when parents go into a frenzy to get new athletic schools by selling their children’s future.