District looks at class sizes

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
When facing potential cuts of several hundred thousand dollars, Weston County School District No. 1 made it clear that nothing was off the table when it came to addressing the decreased funding for K-12 education. Part of the school board discussion included a potential switch to a seven-period school day for Newcastle High School’s 246 students, instead of the current block schedule. 
The reason, according to Superintendent Brad LaCroix, is that current class sizes do not meet the limits defined in the state’s funding model. At this time, maximum class sizes for high schools are 21, according to the funding model. The Legislature is proposing to increase the maximum to 23 as part of House Bill 173. 
Elementary and middle school classes on the other hand, LaCroix said, are closer to the funding model guidelines for those grade levels. 
According to information provided by LaCroix, class sizes at the high school range from an average of 7.1 students per class in various woodworking sections to 17 students in social studies classes. Exceptions to these averages are vocal and band classes. 
Sonya Tysdal, the district’s curriculum director,  reported that when looking at class sizes at that level, the school has to consider that the schedule structure may be what is impacting class sizes. 
“As someone said at last night’s school board meeting, we offer more than any other school district our size,” Tysdal said. “At what point do we retain what we offer and at the same time be responsible with taxpayer dollars? We have to have that conversation.” 
Not only does the district have fewer students than the state maximum in high school classes,  it is also threatened by a drop in enrollment,  especially in the future. 
“Twenty to 30 years ago, class sizes were larger. Something that has become a reality in our community is that the school-age population is decreasing,” Tysdal said. She added that while the impact is not immediate, it has the potential to affect funding in the future. 
“The impact we could see next year is absolutely a reality. That could be another cut to the district, in addition to the cuts from the Legislature,” she said. 
According to enrollment data from the Wyoming Department of Education, Newcastle’s graduating class is around 63 students. The incoming kindergarten class, according to Principal Brandy Holmes, is projected to be 45 students at most.