Class size responsibility one hot potato

Legislators and the School Board don't have answers on how to meet a new mandate.

By STEPHEN HEGARTY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 17, 2002

LARGO -- Early on in the two-hour meeting between the Pinellas School Board and the county's legislative delegation, Rep. John Carassas had a question about the class size amendment. How long, the Largo Republican asked, would it take for Pinellas to reduce classes to the amendment cap?

"Right now, we don't have a plan," Superintendent Howard Hinesley responded. "We don't have the money to do it."

Board member Lee Benjamin added, "We need to know what the game plan is from Tallahassee."

If anything became clear during the meeting Monday it was this: Lawmakers are looking to local educators for some answers, and local School Board members are looking to legislators for answers.

At this point that means there are no answers.

School Board members said that when the rules are written about how to comply with the mandate, they want flexibility.

Also, they want to make sure that Pinellas and other school districts that already have decent class sizes don't end up as losers when the money is divvied up.

"I have this nightmare that all the money goes to South Florida just to bring them down to where we are" in terms of average class size, Hinesley told the members of the legislative delegation.

The amendment requires that by the year 2010 no more than 18 students can be assigned to each teacher in prekindergarten through third grade, 22 students in grades 4-8, and 25 in high school classes. Schools must make incremental progress toward that goal starting next school year, reducing classes by an average of two children per year.

Board members and Superintendent Hinesley opposed the amendment, which was approved by Florida voters Nov. 5.

Rep. Frank Peterman, who supported the amendment, took issue Monday with the seemingly negative regard for the class size mandate.

"Whether we like it or not, it's going to happen," Peterman said. "The mind-set has to be one where we're ready to move forward."

For several minutes, Peterman heard board members tell how complicated it would be to comply with the amendment. It will be hard to hire enough teachers, tough to build enough classrooms, nearly impossible to find land to build.

"I'm speaking to the mind-set," Peterman responded at least three different times.

"I just didn't hear a lot of progressive thinking," Peterman said after the meeting. "We need to start thinking ahead about how we're going to do it, not just talking about why we can't."

There was little discussion about how to pay for the class size mandate, and one exchange illustrated why.

Sen. Jim Sebesta asked how the School Board would propose raising money -- would they support tax reform, an increase in the state sales tax?

A minute later, the St. Petersburg Republican felt the need to add with a smile, "Let the record show, I was just asking the question."

The talk of complying with the class size amendment dominated the discussion Monday, as it is expected to dominate the upcoming legislative session. But the lawmakers also heard of other subjects the Pinellas School Board would like to see addressed.

For instance, several lawmakers agreed that the McKay Scholarship program, which provides vouchers for disabled children to attend private schools, needs more accountability.

Board members recounted what Benjamin referred to as "horror stories" involving the McKay Scholarship program. One local private school recently was dropped from the program after the state was unable to determine where they were holding class, or even whether they were.

"I question why the state does not have greater accountability for the private schools" that take the state vouchers, said board member Mary Brown.

Sen. Mike Fasano said the program still is new. "I guess we're learning what needs to be done. I would believe that taxpayers would want (accountability) across the board."

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