Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments class size

$2000 a year for the swim team! Holy crow!

Wow some of these class sizes are huge! We are in public schools.
DD5 had 18 in K along with an extra assistant for the special needs kiddos
DS12 has anywhere from 10 to 22 depending on the class at the middle school.
DS 19 had 25 to 30 in the HS.

I think these are huge class sizes! We do frequently have an aide, and there is huge parent participation at our school. Actually, our public school is ranked in the top 10% in California. It's an affluent area, and many parents donate alot of money. Our PTA last year raised over $100,000.
Yes, I think $2000 a year for 2 kids ($1000 per kid) is alot for a swim team! But I think most sports are much more, at least out here. They both swim, 12 months a year, 4 nights a week for an hour each practice.
How much do other sports cost where you are?
Out here, soccer is really huge. Football, etc.

Our sports are free with exception of specific items personal items, like shoes or mouth guards. Football, Soccer, Lacrosse, Baseball, and basketball are big. My kids have been in Soccer, Track, Cross Country, Baseball, Swimming, and Football over the years. Really the cost was only the shoes, mouth guards, shin guards, and swimsuits. The school provides any of the major equipment for football and other sports requiring major equipment.


I know many schools out here (Ohio) charge, it just depends on the district. I happen to very lucky our district is manage financially like a well run business. We have not had deficits issues like others. When budge changes are coming they are normally 3 or 4 years a head of the curve with planning the cost reductions. Our town is the same. I can't say neighboring communities are equally managed. The vast majority seem to be suffering majors cuts and continued deficits looming.

We are in a more affluent area, not the top but comfortable. The parents and community are huge supporters of the schools. Our PTO generally has raised over 100k a year also. Which often funds new playgrounds or equipment in the buildings. Here the voters have to approve any additional funds to the district. Our district asked for 1 operating increase in the last 10years. The voters have never turned them down. I think the district's transparent and well managed budgets make the community comfortable with giving more when asked.

I am always aware of how lucky we are to be in our district. It's just hard to imagine meeting the needs of any kid with 35 or 40 of them in class, never mind outliers on either end. I don't envy the teacher in that position. I can't imagine my kids doing well in that environment. It would make it a lot harder for them. They've all had real hero teachers at times that made a huge difference in their lives. I can't imagine the teachers being able to give the time, attention, and care my kids have gotten with numbers like those. I can get annoyed with the school at times for the hoops we've had to jump through but I know it could be a million times worse.

In my stepson's school district in Oregon, kindergarten class sizes will increase next year from 21 to 34 students, grades 1-5 from 25 to 35 students, middle schools from 30 to 38 students, and high schools estimate class sizes will average 44 students.

We live in Washington. Here, class sizes have been around 20-25 students. DD will be in an accelerated program for gifted students next year and class size is capped. (The class is filled based on test scores and there is a waiting list.)

My daughter's elementary school PTO has less than $5000 in its coffers, IIRC. Total. Yup.

Sports and clubs through school run about $100-200/year.

As a teacher I have firsthand experience that smaller classes (we had specially small freshman English and math) leads to much stronger teacher connections and learning experiences. It's not universally true, probably, but I could really know each student and inspire them, do fun work because I could get the supplies and handle the load... I'm so grateful DD's charter caps at 20 for K and 22 for 1-8. It's a crazy amazing benefit.

My dad also teaches in CA and the class size growth (along w banning pets, field trips, dictating instruction etc even tho his kids score amazingly high compared to his school... Sigh) have gotten so big in primary! In secondary were up to at least 35 (if you had 34 you were grateful, and the times I had odd small classes it was amazing!) but most often 40 and easily 45 in AP.

I should mention that my kids swim on a private, nationally ranked, year round swim team. They are in grade school, so that is why we pay fees. All of the sports affiliated with the junior or high schools are free. We do not pay for those.

John Hattie, director of the research institute at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (based at one of Australia's top ranked universities, Melbourne University). His research is interesting and has shown that class size matters, but teacher technique matters more. In a media interview he explains: "Many simply can't accept that small class sizes shouldn't be a top priority. Professor Hattie surprises them with his research, which found teachers talk more in small classes. "All the things that you think would be better in small classes, it's the opposite. Rather, it's, 'They're going to listen to me better'," he says. "If you take a teacher of [a] class of 30 and put them in a class of 15, they teach the same way. Now what that says to me is that if you are going to reduce class sizes you need to reteach the teachers."

From: http://www.theage.com.au/national/e...hought-20120309-1upjx.html#ixzz1xHHT0BKB

(I could only find PowerPoints of his research, or media commentary but I haven't had a chance to look in any journal databases.)

Ah! This makes so much sense. When DD was in a very small class, I assumed she would get a lot of one on one attention, but she looked at me like I had two heads when I asked about that.