Even with a slight boost in state aid for the current school year, many districts say class size will still climb
Always an important number for parents, class size is also often a barometer of the fiscal condition of a school system: the tighter the dollars, the fewer the staff, the more students in each classroom.
A new survey of New Jersey schools over the past two years proves that this state is no exception — although the results also present some interesting twists.
The New Jersey School Boards Association contacted all 575 districts in June to quiz them on how class size has been affected by two budgets: last year’s (2010-2011), which saw steep cuts in state aid, and this year’s (2011-2012), which saw a slight increase.
A total of 186 districts responded. Not surprisingly, about a third of all participants again said class size climbed last year, largely due to shrinking state aid.
And even though budgets are a bit beefier this year, a third of all respondents said class size is likely to increase again. Of the remainder, nearly two-thirds said they would stay the same, while one in 10 said they would decrease.
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