Kings Highway Elementary Third Grade Size “Disproportionately High”

To the Editor:

This letter is to bring to your attention a matter of critical concern to Kings Highway Elementary Parents.  As you may not know, the average class size in the third grade at Kings Highway School is disproportionately high versus the other Westport elementary schools and is dangerously close to the legal limits set by the Board of Education.

As concerned parents, and taxpayers, we ask you, should where a district line is drawn be the determinant for optimizing our children’s education? 

As you can see, Coleytown has the closest number of students to Kings Highway, yet their class size is significantly smaller.  To further add to this huge imbalance, many of the current Kings Highway students were redistricted from Coleytown on the pretense of reducing class sizes.  Obviously, this was not true.

Study after study confirms that one of, if not the most, critical factor in education quality, particularly in elementary school years, is class size. Our children are suffering with teachers who are stretched thin by class crowding and cant afford to provide the kind of attention and focus they want, we demand and the kids need. 

Additionally, Kings Highway has become known throughout the Westport system as having one of the best Special Education programs.  Children from other school districts and communities are being placed at Kings Highway without the benefit of increasing our staff.

We as concerned parents want to know what plan the BOE has in place to deal with the class overcrowding issue for the fall semester. When will additional teachers and classes be allocated to normalize KHS to the balance of Westport?

We have respectfully requested a formal advisement or meeting with BOE to discuss the matter. To date no response has been received.

I strongly suggest, that before the BOE approves millions of dollars for “nicer” offices, this issue be reviewed, discussed, and resolved!

Gus Fernandez
Westport