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110599 Counting numbers at local school districts
One of the hardest tasks of any school district is not only providing a high quality of education, but looking to the future to maintain that quality — both in terms of academic achievement and facilities. As northern Westchester experiences a "baby boomlet," both the Bedford Central and Katonah-Lewisboro school districts are grappling with issues of future class sizes and accommodating a growing student population. For Fox Lane High School, a recent demographic study shows a student population that may peak at 1,400 by the 2007-2008 school year. Concerns about such growth — about 1,000 students currently attend Fox Lane — lead to questions as to whether the current academic and facility infrastructure can maintain high quality education without, as schools superintendent Bruce Dennis has stated, diminishing "the quality and extent of their program."
Fox Lane principal Richard Kraemer has pointed to new curriculum possibilities that come with a larger high school. This could certainly be a way for the district to make lemonade from lemons, particularly if it continues to remain attentive to changes mandated by new state curriculum and instruction standards. Harsh realities come from individual pro-gram heads, who describe crowded classrooms, such as a current per-forming arts scenario of 85 students snugly fitting into the band room, and 70 orchestra students learning in a room while students in a ceramics class do their work on the other side of a room divider.
The district should move forward with its appointment of a citizens' committee to work in an advisory capacity to look at the high school and its facility needs. Facilities consultants should work closely with this committee, administration and staff to make sure that tomorrow's students have the same quality education as today's.
A study session at Katonah-Lewisboro focused on class size, which has been growing throughout the district. According to some studies, a primary grade school class size of 13 to 17 students seems to produce the best results in tei Ins of students' performance in later years. While such numbers are only a dream now, the district is developing ways to create a "safety net" that could help kids from slipping through the cracks in larger classroom situations.
The team structure is working well at both the middle and high schools, helping students to identify with their own groups in the midst of a larger sea. Students and staff are also afforded an opportunity to zero in on issues to improve academic performance and social adjustment.
Such techniques can help kids find their own identities in schools that are growing at a pace with our communities.