We, the undersigned, request a resolution to the high student-to-teacher ratios in the 2019-2020 First Grade class at Laidlaw Elementary School. As it currently stands, there are three first-grade classrooms of 26, 26, and 27 students, respectively. There is one full-time aide in the classroom that has 27 students while the other two classrooms remain without full-time, consistent aides to support our teachers and our youngest students in their academic and social development. This is not acceptable to accommodate our first grade children’s development.
Laidlaw’s first-grade classes have a higher student-to-teacher ratio than the average class in all schools in the entire state of Illinois, including Chicago Public Schools (CPS average class size is 16-23). In addition, Laidlaw’s first-grade classes — some of our youngest students in the building — have the highest student-to-teacher ratio out of all of the school’s grades. Furthermore, among District 101’s three elementary schools, Laidlaw’s first-grade class is the only one with such a high student-to-teacher ratio. Over the course of recent history, the District has made accommodations for student-to-teacher ratios that were lower than the situation at hand. For example, just this year when Forest Hills Elementary’s kindergarten class reached 29 students, it opened another class to accommodate its students and its teachers, and to lower its student-to-teacher ratio. Our class sizes last year, in kindergarten, were at 24 pupils each and we were told by the administration that adjustments would be made if more students matriculated into our grade the following year.
This year alone brought eight more students to Laidlaw and no accommodations have yet been forthcoming from the administration regarding the solution to the lack of full-time, consistent aides. Student aides are not a long-term solution for our teachers, or for our students. Because of the low pay offered to aides, they will continually be difficult to find and retain, as was demonstrated when two aides, who had committed to our first-grade classes this year, left when they were offered more financially stable employment. Furthermore, history demonstrates that class sizes will only continue to rise throughout our children’s time at Laidlaw Elementary and research establishes that grades 1-3 are the most critical for a lower teacher-to-student ratio to foster academic success.
At this time, District 101 is operating in a surplus and is forecasted to continuing operating in a surplus. Therefore, lack of money is not an excuse as to why our children remain in overcrowded classrooms. Likewise, last year parents were told by the administration that space for another classroom could be made available by utilizing the art/music room, if the need arose.
There is significant need for an additional class by utilizing the already available physical resources within Laidlaw. The administration needs to act by not only hiring full-time aids to assist the already larger classes that remain without an aide but also to accommodate another class to lower the class size. Delay with regard to this objective is unacceptable by the district and should have been addressed beginning last year, knowing the already disturbing class size of the kindergarten class.
District 101’s mission is based on GROW – we ask that the district and the administration reach beyond their own comfort zone to help foster life-long learners.
We, the undersigned, request that the district address the already existing issue of overcrowded classes by hiring both teacher aides to assist in the classrooms and add another 1st grade classroom to bring down the class size. We request that the district adhere to the education that our first-grade students deserve and the education our district declares to support.
Below are signatures from First-Grade Parents only, of which we have obtained the vast majority. Please respond at your earliest convenience via email (or meeting if you prefer) with the undersigned.
7 Comments
My daughter is in one of these classes and it is way too crowded. How is one teacher supposed to manage 26 kids alone? This needs fixing now.
UNACCEPTABLE. Why is Laidlaw the only school in the district dealing with this? Sort it out.
Researchers generally agree that lower class sizes, at least in the earliest grades, are linked to positive educational benefits such as better test scores, fewer dropouts and higher graduation rates. • The most obvious explanation for why reducing class size works is that teachers give better, more-tailored instruction. • Students behave better and pay more attention in smaller groups.
This is crucial to our children. We tried to address this last year in Kindergarten and were assured that opening a 4th section would be revisited if the class sizes grew, Please now consider this as the classes have grown. Thank you.
The fact that we as parents in a district such as this even need to think about a petition to get the district to do what is right is appalling to me. I am thoroughly disappointed in the leadership of laidlaw and of district 101 for not proactively anticipating and then addressing this issue last year. I am a father of two of the first graders for whom their education is currently being neglected...at no fault of their teachers who probably didn’t sign up to be overworked and overwhelmed by the situation that district 101 should have prevented in the first place.
Western Springs Laidlaw 1st Graders are under staffed.
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We, the undersigned, request a resolution to the high student-to-teacher ratios in the 2019-2020 First Grade class at Laidlaw Elementary School. As it currently stands, there are three first-grade classrooms of 26, 26, and 27 students, respectively. There is one full-time aide in the classroom that has 27 students while the other two classrooms remain without full-time, consistent aides to support our teachers and our youngest students in their academic and social development. This is not acceptable to accommodate our first grade children’s development.
Laidlaw’s first-grade classes have a higher student-to-teacher ratio than the average class in all schools in the entire state of Illinois, including Chicago Public Schools (CPS average class size is 16-23). In addition, Laidlaw’s first-grade classes — some of our youngest students in the building — have the highest student-to-teacher ratio out of all of the school’s grades. Furthermore, among District 101’s three elementary schools, Laidlaw’s first-grade class is the only one with such a high student-to-teacher ratio. Over the course of recent history, the District has made accommodations for student-to-teacher ratios that were lower than the situation at hand. For example, just this year when Forest Hills Elementary’s kindergarten class reached 29 students, it opened another class to accommodate its students and its teachers, and to lower its student-to-teacher ratio. Our class sizes last year, in kindergarten, were at 24 pupils each and we were told by the administration that adjustments would be made if more students matriculated into our grade the following year.
This year alone brought eight more students to Laidlaw and no accommodations have yet been forthcoming from the administration regarding the solution to the lack of full-time, consistent aides. Student aides are not a long-term solution for our teachers, or for our students. Because of the low pay offered to aides, they will continually be difficult to find and retain, as was demonstrated when two aides, who had committed to our first-grade classes this year, left when they were offered more financially stable employment. Furthermore, history demonstrates that class sizes will only continue to rise throughout our children’s time at Laidlaw Elementary and research establishes that grades 1-3 are the most critical for a lower teacher-to-student ratio to foster academic success.
At this time, District 101 is operating in a surplus and is forecasted to continuing operating in a surplus. Therefore, lack of money is not an excuse as to why our children remain in overcrowded classrooms. Likewise, last year parents were told by the administration that space for another classroom could be made available by utilizing the art/music room, if the need arose.
There is significant need for an additional class by utilizing the already available physical resources within Laidlaw. The administration needs to act by not only hiring full-time aids to assist the already larger classes that remain without an aide but also to accommodate another class to lower the class size. Delay with regard to this objective is unacceptable by the district and should have been addressed beginning last year, knowing the already disturbing class size of the kindergarten class.
District 101’s mission is based on GROW – we ask that the district and the administration reach beyond their own comfort zone to help foster life-long learners.
We, the undersigned, request that the district address the already existing issue of overcrowded classes by hiring both teacher aides to assist in the classrooms and add another 1st grade classroom to bring down the class size. We request that the district adhere to the education that our first-grade students deserve and the education our district declares to support.
Below are signatures from First-Grade Parents only, of which we have obtained the vast majority. Please respond at your earliest convenience via email (or meeting if you prefer) with the undersigned.
7 Comments
I know we have a wonderful 1st grade team at Laidlaw, and an amazing staff. However, as an educator myself, I also know that even the best teachers struggle to differentiate and meet the needs of all students when class sizes are too large. I wholeheartedly believe we need to add another class for this group of students at this critical time in their development. I look forward to working together to best support our first grade students. Thank you!
My daughter is in one of these classes and it is way too crowded. How is one teacher supposed to manage 26 kids alone? This needs fixing now.
UNACCEPTABLE. Why is Laidlaw the only school in the district dealing with this? Sort it out.
Researchers generally agree that lower class sizes, at least in the earliest grades, are linked to positive educational benefits such as better test scores, fewer dropouts and higher graduation rates. • The most obvious explanation for why reducing class size works is that teachers give better, more-tailored instruction. • Students behave better and pay more attention in smaller groups.
This is crucial to our children. We tried to address this last year in Kindergarten and were assured that opening a 4th section would be revisited if the class sizes grew, Please now consider this as the classes have grown. Thank you.
The fact that we as parents in a district such as this even need to think about a petition to get the district to do what is right is appalling to me. I am thoroughly disappointed in the leadership of laidlaw and of district 101 for not proactively anticipating and then addressing this issue last year. I am a father of two of the first graders for whom their education is currently being neglected...at no fault of their teachers who probably didn’t sign up to be overworked and overwhelmed by the situation that district 101 should have prevented in the first place.
Western Springs Laidlaw 1st Graders are under staffed.
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I know we have a wonderful 1st grade team at Laidlaw, and an amazing staff. However, as an educator myself, I also know that even the best teachers struggle to differentiate and meet the needs of all students when class sizes are too large. I wholeheartedly believe we need to add another class for this group of students at this critical time in their development. I look forward to working together to best support our first grade students. Thank you!