Uptick in Elementary Enrollment Results in Added Classes

A slight increase in student enrollment is causing Norwalk Schools to add additional elementary classes in some schools and aides in others.

According to the Oct 1 District Enrollment Report which was submitted to the State recently, there are 5,240 students attending elementary schools in Norwalk. The number is approximately 80 more students than last year, according to interim Chief Financial Officer Dan Cook. While there has been an increase in some school classes there has also been a decrease in others causing a shuffle of teachers and the use of two reserve teachers that were previously budgeted.

(Middle school enrollment is also up slightly and high school attendance decreased slightly according to Mr. Cook. 2,339 students now attend middle schools. 3,304 students attend Brien McMahon and Norwalk High schools.)

In a separate memo circulated to the Board of Education in preparation for tomorrow night's meeting, Mr. Cook wrote to the interim Superintendent William Pappalo on October 16, about the enrollment and changes necessary:

In compliance with the contractual commitment between Norwalk Board of Education and the Norwalk Federation of teachers there has been an ongoing review of class size during the months of September and October....

The contract states: "The NFT and the Board will continue to consult to eliminate as rapidly as possible all instructional classes of hetergeneously groups students in excess of twenty-two (22) students per class in grades K, 1, 2, and twenty-four (24) students per class in 3, 4, 5."

According to Mr. Cook's memo a Kindergarten class was added at Fox Run elementary, a 2nd grade class was added at Brookside elementary, a 4th grade section was added at Cranbury elementary, a 3rd grade was added at Kendall. At Rowayton elementary extra 1st and 4th grade classes were established. Aides were added at Marvin, Brookside, Fox Run and Naramake.

The impact of creating new classes was discussed at the the October 6th meeting of the BOE. At the time the board voted to set aside $50,000 from $6 million that the City of Norwalk has remaining to update school facilities. Certain members of the Board expressed concern that there needed to be a better understanding of the of enrollment trends and related space requirements that would be needed in the future for elementary schools. This year, Rowayton and Naramake required portable classrooms underscoring the need for this issue to be examined.

District Enrollment Oct1