Superintendent Addresses Concerns About Student-To-Teacher Ratios

Responding to parents’ concerns regarding increasing class sizes, district officials have addressed the matter recently.

“It’s not that there is anything abnormal heading into next year, we’re just trying to alleviate people’s concerns,” said Superintendent of Schools Ray Gonzalez.

Gonzalez said that just because a particular class size increases from one year to the next does not mean that the district will have to hire more teachers. It may, however, mean reassigning teachers to other classes or grades.

Gonzalez said that the district has budgeted for hiring either three or four teachers for the upcoming school year. Despite the preplanning, officials would like to make any changes with no increase to the budget.

Gonzalez also issued a statement on the matter:

“Regarding our district’s anticipated 2012-2013 teacher-to-student ratio and individual class sizes within our various schools, many complex, external factors come into play. Chief among these are economic and demographic considerations, both of which we review and address on an annual basis. This said, we will never place the students of Wayne Public Schools into any classroom environment and compromises their instructional and physical well being. Therefore, the school and district administration will work closely to examine our class sizes and make adjustments where needed in light of the instructional needs of the entire school.”

The state average for middle schools was 19 students for every teacher.

Student to teacher ratios

Click on each school to be taken to that school’s 2010-2011 report card.

Elementary Schools

Albert P. Terhune: 20.3

James Fallon: 23.1

John F. Kennedy: 19.1

Lafayette: 20.1

Packanack: 23.6

Pines Lake: 20.2

Randall Carter: 17.7

Ryerson: 14.7

Theunis Dey: 19.7

Middle Schools

Anthony Wayne: 23.9

George Washington: 22.8

Schuyler-Colfax: 24.5

High Schools

Wayne Hills: 20.2

Wayne Valley: 18.9

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.