RANCHO SANTA FE — When school resumes this fall, teachers and students at R. Roger Rowe will be adapting to the interesting challenges of spending the year in portable classrooms as their school undergoes a complete renovation. Meanwhile, administrators will spend the summer dealing with the difficult task of placing those students without increasing class sizes.
“Enrollment is a moving target,” Cindy Schaub, the assistant superintendent, told board members at the June 3 meeting.
The school has always tried to maintain a maximum class size of 20 students for all grades. But when it doesn’t make sense, other options have to be considered, Schaub said.
With 85 incoming fourth-graders, creating a fourth- and fifth-grade combination class was discussed. “But that doesn’t work well,” Schaub said. “It would really be a nightmare.” At R. Roger Rowe, middle school begins in fifth grade.
The current plan is for three classes with 21 students and one with 22. The kindergarten class could be the smallest the school has seen in years. Enrollment packets were sent to 44 families and only 20 have been returned confirming attendance in the fall. The school is currently planning for two kindergarten classes.
There were about 760 students enrolled during the school year that just ended. Schaub said attrition rarely affects the numbers.
Administrators are also looking into developing a math intervention program. Schaub said the school’s reading intervention program has shown “nothing but positive results.”
“It’s really proven to be successful,” she said. “It’s a program to be proud of.”
Schaub said between 12 and 16 students in grades four through six have been identified as needing some type of math intervention.
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