Hampton Township School District aims for lower elementary class sizes

To maintain smaller sizes for some elementary-level classes, Hampton Township School District administrators are requesting the hiring of long-term substitutes to teach additional sections.

Superintendent Michael Loughead said the number of first graders at all the district’s elementary schools has grown for 2024-25.

“We didn’t expect all three, honestly, but that’s how enrollment happens sometimes. We don’t know sometimes until right about now,” he told school board members during their Aug. 5 work session. “We historically have said 24, 25 students in a first-grade classroom is something that we don’t believe is acceptable, for a number of reasons.”

He cited limitations including the physical sizes of some rooms and accommodations for students with identified special needs, who often are accompanied by paraeducators.

“Historically, when we have had numbers like this, we have added a section,” Loughead said, and the recommendation is for the extra classes at Central, Poff and Wyland elementary schools to be covered by long-term substitutes.

Meanwhile, Wyland’s kindergarten enrollment has reached 50 students, which would mean 25 per currently scheduled section.

“That is not a number we would contemplate for kindergarten, so we are recommending a third section,” Loughead said. “That would be a half-time kindergarten teacher.”

Members of the Hampton teachers’ union are amenable to the plan for hiring, according to the superintendent.

“They realized we don’t know these numbers until now,” he said about 2024-25 enrollment, “and have been very flexible and supportive of us using long-term sub teachers to fill these gaps, which means if we don’t need those sections next year, that teacher no longer needs to be employed. And of course, the salary for long-term subs is significantly lower.”

Compensation for two long-term substitutes is included in the Hampton’s 2024-25 budget. To cover the other 1.5 positions, Loughead recommended tapping in to the extra $106,028 the district is receiving in state subsidies compared with what was budgeted.

“The good news is that the pool of long-term subs that we’ve been looking at that could possibly fill these positions is very encouraging,” he said. “Some of the folks have been working with us over the last several years and would love to have this opportunity in Hampton.”

By implementing extra sections, the applicable class sizes would drop to about 16 or 17 students. At Wyland, an added kindergarten class would be either morning or afternoon.

“Knowing that this might happen, we did notify the parents in June that had said they were OK with AM or PM kindergarten,” Loughead said. “So we have a core group that will already move without disruption.”

Plans call for no students to be assigned to a different school.

“There’s no fair way of doing that,” the superintendent said. “We’ve looked at equity between the schools, and that seems to be working pretty well by moving these long-term subs around. We did relocate a teacher from Wyland to Poff, anticipating some of this, which helped with the preplanning.”

School board member Greg Stein spoke in favor of keeping students at their assigned schools.

“One of the big benefits of public education is socialization. Kids learn how to behave around others,” he said. “And if you turn around and change the kids, they lose that. That’s a big thing that you’re providing.

Loughead said he has spoken with parents who are new to the district, and they often express appreciation for the presence of neighborhood elementary schools.

“That’s why they want to come to Hampton. That’s why they stay.”