ORANGE — Tara Coliadis of Orange is concerned about her daughter’s well-being, saying if class sizes at Fisher Hill School increase, she’ll move her to another school that can meet her needs.
She’s not the only parent expressing apprehension over the proposed changes at Fisher Hill. Teachers and parents fear increasing class sizes at the elementary school could have negative consequences for its students.
After evaluating next school year’s proposed budget, Orange Elementary School Committee has proposed decreasing the number of classrooms to three for kindergarten, first-grade and second grade-levels. The proposal would also contract one full section of preschool. This could leave classroom sizes up to 23 to 24 students.
Even though her daughter will be attending Dexter Park School in the fall, Karen Perkins of Orange said she’s still worried about the classroom sizes at Fisher Hill.
“I apologize to say, but I’m concerned,” she said at a recent school committee meeting. “We don’t have anything to do with Fisher Hill, but I have so many family and friends that are part of the school,” she said. “I would urge you guys to really reconsider charging for preschool — people will pay because they want their children to be educated.”
Superintendent Tari Thomas said the current enrollment at Fisher Hill for next year’s kindergarten students is 61, while the first and second grades have 71 students enrolled. She said there is a possibility more students will enroll over the summer.
Parents and community members argue an increase in classroom sizes could hurt special education students and students with previous behavioral issues. Some also expressed concerns regarding the age of the students, contending younger students need more attention and larger class sections could leave some students without the care they need. Student safety was one of their main concerns. The committee told the community this would not be the case.
“We aren’t talking about reducing services to children that are already getting services, or children that are going to need services,” said Amy White, school committee member.
The proposed budget increases 2.71 percent from this year, totaling $6,610,796. According to the committee, the largest funding source for the school, Chapter 70 state aid to public elementary and secondary schools in the state only saw an increase of $12,100 for next school year.
White urged the public to tell the town their concerns. “I can’t express how important it is for everyone to go to the Finance Committee and the Town Meeting annually and speak about how important our schools are,” White said. “Because, they don’t know how all of you feel without all of you going.”
The committee will propose the budget to the Finance Committee on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Orange Town Hall. If the budget is not approved, the committee said this may lead to further cuts.