_
Do You Value P.E., Arts and STEM specials at LPES? Read this and Support HB-13!
Last year when the NC General Assembly passed the state budget bill, it included a mandate to enforce smaller classroom sizes that were previously established for grades K-3 statewide. While admirable, the enforcement of this mandate for the 2017-2018 school year will have dramatic effects on school budgets—particularly in the areas of art, Music, STEM and PE instruction. Specifically, schools would likely be forced to lay off current specials teachers in order to hire more classroom teachers, and specials would be taught by homeroom teachers. It is also likely that technology and social thinking would be eliminated.
In January, HB-13 was filed in response to concerns over this new enforcement mandate. The bill relaxes previously established classroom size limits to more realistic numbers. Below is a breakdown of what is proposed by the bill compared to previously accepted levels, and the current 2017-2018 caps.
Grade Level Previous Class Sizes 2017-18 Requirements HB-13 Proposal
Kindergarten 21/24 18/21 21/24
1st Grade 21/24 16/19 19/22
2nd Grade 21/24 17/20 20/23
3rd Grade 21/24 17/20 20/23
HB-13 has been through several readings in the House and Senate. On February 16th it passed the House, and on the 20th it was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. We do not yet know when it will be voted upon by the Senate.
It is imperative that our Representatives hear from parents on this issue--before the vote! In 5 minutes you can scribble out a quick note to your Representative. It needn’t be long, or perfect, just a personal note (card, email or phone call). Voice your support for HB-13, and let your representative know what an important role specials play within our children’s heavily structured school days.
LPES families are typically within Districts 16 or 17. Need to check? Here’s a link to the map. http://www.wakegov.com/gis/services/Documents/NCSenate_24x24.pdf
Contact information for the Wake County Senators is listed below. We have heard that in addition to contacting our Representatives, it would be valuable if District 18 specifically (Chad Barefoot), received public sentiment on the matter as well.
NC General Assembly - Wake County Senators
16 W Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-2808
District Name Phone Email Room
16 Jay Chaudhuri (919) 733-6400 Jay.Chaudhuri@ncleg.net 1121
17 Tamara Barringer (919) 733-5653 Tamara.Barringer@ncleg.net 629
18 Chad Barefoot (919) 715-3036 Chad.Barefoot@ncleg.net
Bill Rabon (919) 733-5963 Bill.Rabon@ncleg.net
Phill Berger (919) 733-5708 Phil.Berger@ncleg.net
___________________________________________________________________________________
Do You Value P.E., Arts and STEM specials at LPES? Read this and Support HB-13!
Last year when the NC General Assembly passed the state budget bill, it included a mandate to enforce smaller classroom sizes that were previously established for grades K-3 statewide. While admirable, the enforcement of this mandate for the 2017-2018 school year will have dramatic effects on school budgets—particularly in the areas of art, Music, STEM and PE instruction. Specifically, schools would likely be forced to lay off current specials teachers in order to hire more classroom teachers, and specials would be taught by homeroom teachers. It is also likely that technology and social thinking would be eliminated.
In January, HB-13 was filed in response to concerns over this new enforcement mandate. The bill relaxes previously established classroom size limits to more realistic numbers. Below is a breakdown of what is proposed by the bill compared to previously accepted levels, and the current 2017-2018 caps.
Grade Level Previous Class Sizes 2017-18 Requirements HB-13 Proposal
Kindergarten 21/24 18/21 21/24
1st Grade 21/24 16/19 19/22
2nd Grade 21/24 17/20 20/23
3rd Grade 21/24 17/20 20/23
HB-13 has been through several readings in the House and Senate. On February 16th it passed the House, and on the 20th it was referred to the Committee on Rules and Operations of the Senate. We do not yet know when it will be voted upon by the Senate.
It is imperative that our Representatives hear from parents on this issue--before the vote! In 5 minutes you can scribble out a quick note to your Representative. It needn’t be long, or perfect, just a personal note (card, email or phone call). Voice your support for HB-13, and let your representative know what an important role specials play within our children’s heavily structured school days.
LPES families are typically within Districts 16 or 17. Need to check? Here’s a link to the map. http://www.wakegov.com/gis/services/Documents/NCSenate_24x24.pdf
Contact information for the Wake County Senators is listed below. We have heard that in addition to contacting our Representatives, it would be valuable if District 18 specifically (Chad Barefoot), received public sentiment on the matter as well.
NC General Assembly - Wake County Senators
16 W Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-2808
District Name Phone Email Room
16 Jay Chaudhuri (919) 733-6400 Jay.Chaudhuri@ncleg.net 1121
17 Tamara Barringer (919) 733-5653 Tamara.Barringer@ncleg.net 629
18 Chad Barefoot (919) 715-3036 Chad.Barefoot@ncleg.net
Bill Rabon (919) 733-5963 Bill.Rabon@ncleg.net
Phill Berger (919) 733-5708 Phil.Berger@ncleg.net
___________________________________________________________________________________
Below is a recap of the Q and A session that took place with Mr. Fletcher, Wake County School Board Representative at our last PTA meeting.
His presentation focused on why we need HB 13 and possible school Calendar changes.
These questions will help you to clearly understand why HB 13 is important!
Why is there a push for lower class sizes now ?
Historically, the NC General Assembly has allocated funds toward teaching positions based on teacher to student rations. With guidance from NC Department of Public Instruction, Districts used that allocation to staff all regular classrooms plus other positions required by the NC Standard Course of Study. Those positions include Art, music, PE as well as positions in reading intervention.
Norms where established over time that the average class size in a District could exceed the recommended class size by 3 students. This has happened in classrooms over a long period of time.
Last year, a few Senators decided to enforce a strict adherence to a set of maximum class size for Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Many Senators felt frustrated that cap sizes where consistently being broken even though funds were given to Districts to adhere to the mandate. They were unhappy with underperforming schools and felt that this was in direct result of overcrowded classrooms. They are now asking Districts why money was not used over the years to correct the issue of overcrowding by reducing classes sizes.
Districts across the state answered the NCGA by explaining that funds received through the State where used to maintain basic requirements to run the school. They have stated that these allotments have not changed much in thirty years, and it is unrealistic to think that schools receive enough each year to efficiently run a School District while hiring the amount of teachers that would be needed to meet the requirement. Rising enrollment make it impossible to keep up with the cap sizes.
What is HB 13 and why is our PTA for it?
HB 13 is a non-partisan bill that was created to give schools more flexibility in the wake of the new class size mandates. HB 13 doesn’t give put us back to original class sizes, but allows for the NCGA and the School Districts to meet in the middle.
So what would it take for NC Schools to reach the mandate if the HB 13 does not pass?
To keep up with the mandate, schools would have to hire additional teachers to meet the request. Overall, 5,500 teachers would need to be hired across the State to properly reallocate students to meet the cap sizes by a July/August time frame. There is also the issue of where we would put these classrooms in overcrowded schools.
I have read that HB 13 has already passes the NC House, is that correct?
Seeing that this was an impossible task, The NC House put forth HB13 to relax the mandate. This would be a compromise between what the Senate has proposed and what is realistic for our schools. This was passed unanimously in the House. 114 to zero.
The Bill has now moved to the Senate for consideration, but is sitting in in the House Rules and Operations Committee where “Bills go to die”. There is no timeline as to when the NC Senate will consider a vote on HB13.
What does this mean for Laurel Park?
Laurel Park would have to hire 9 new teachers to meet the requirement. However, there is no funding for LPES or any other school across the State to accomplish this task. This means that significant cuts would have to be made in order to create funds for new teachers. Those cuts would come from our school specials, teaching assistance and other support positions.
Where would the new classrooms go?
This is also a large problem and another reason why HB 13 was formed. Most schools across the State are near or at capacity. There is no room for classrooms. Mr. Fletcher stated that your gym, library and other common spaces would have to be utilized to create space. This would also mean that the State would spend millions of dollars outfitting schools to accommodate classrooms. This is also impossible to accomplish prior to the 2017-2018 school year.
How could we lose Gym and other specials that are part of the NC State Curriculum?
Students would still receive Gym, Music and Art. This would now be taught by your student`s teacher. It is our specialist who would lose their positions. However, Technology and Social Thinking would not be replaced.
Why not hire the Special Teachers to teach in the classroom.
Many Specialist are not certified to teach curriculum and are only certified in their respective areas. If they lose their job they will be out of work all across the State of NC as this mandate will impact all Districts.
Will this impact students in upper grades?
Yes, it absolutely will be felt by everyone. Since there is no limit on class sizes for 4th and 5th grades, teachers from these grades could be pulled to teach lower grades, causing classes to double up. We could see class sizes soar to over 35 children per classroom.
Will this impact tracks for our school?
Yes, there is a possibility that tracks may have to be condensed to fulfill this mandate. However, nothing has been decided at this point. However, this is a real possibility.
What is the timeline?
Currently, HB 13 is just sitting in the Rules and Operations Committee and there has been no deadline set for the Senators to vote on this. However, Year Round Schools should be in the process of setting their staff for the start of the new school year. Teachers should be receiving their invitations to return. This has all been put on hold leaving the schools in limbo not knowing what to do. Mr. Fletcher has urged Senators to make a move one way or the other so that Districts know what they are up against. It is completely unfair to keep schools like LPES waiting. The Districts are holding off on making cuts hoping that the Senate will approve HB 13, however they will only wait until May 15th, then the cuts will need to be made.
So our student`s teachers are providing instruction in Gym and other special areas? When will they have time to do this?
This is an important question, because your teachers use the time your child is at specials to do their planning. A planning period is guaranteed as part of their contract. State lawmakers have yet to address when teachers will be given this time.
Teachers are also a guaranteed lunch break. However some schools may lose Teaching Assistants who provide lunch duty coverage. This could leave Teacher`s having to cover the lunch. Many are asking when Teachers will get a break in their day.
What will the State do if they are not in compliance with the contract? That has not been addressed, but it is another concerning point.
So, as a year round school, what if we do not hire teachers needed by July?
More than likely, you student will start the year with a substitute. Hiring enough teachers will be a nearly impossible task, something the State has never done. In fact, Mr. Fletcher stated that the State currently has 100 open positions for teachers K-3 that Districts have not been able to fill for this school year.
Who makes the cuts?
It will be up to each school to make the new mandate work with the money they have. Cuts are not limited to Specials, but could affect Teaching Assistants, Literacy support even areas like our Bus Drivers. Nothing would be off limits.
What can we do to help?
The most important thing is to write your local Senator. But more importantly, send a message to Senator Chad Barefoot and Senator Phil Rabon. Although they are not Senators from our district, both are over the Operations and Rules Committee where HB 13 is currently sitting. They should be persuaded to make a move on HB 13. Another Senator to reach out to is Phil Berger, who is President Pro Tempor. Call, email or write a letter, but it is important to remember to make it personal. Write to tell them how things would be negatively impacted without our Specialist, teaching Assistance and Literacy support!
Mr. Nixon commented that he has seen this exact thing happen while student teaching in West Virginia and teachers left the State in droves. It was a complete failure.
Mr. Fletcher was familiar with this and agreed that this would be devastating to our schools in that manner. We are already facing low teacher hiring because of our pay scale and seeing a large number of teachers go to other states to teach for better opportunities. Without HB 13, he is afraid that losing more teachers would be inevitable.
A parent commented that she was down in the General Assembly for a field trip and mentioned HB 13 to a Senator. The Senator commented that Representatives is the House were forced to sign HB13 and that there were many things that were added into this Bill that Senators are not in agreement with. Is that true?
Mr. Fletcher had no knowledge of this and stressed that he as thoroughly read the Bill. He also mentioned that the House passes the Bill unanimously and that the Bill was also sponsored in a bipartisan manor by a Democrat and Republican.
The full Bill is online for anyone to read through.
A parent asked if it was true that the State has asked each District to show proof of were money was spent.
Mr. Fletcher did say that this was true. A questionnaire was sent out to each District to ask why money was not spent on reducing classroom size over the years. They asked for a report on how the money was spent.
Mr. Fletcher said that Wake County has responded to the questionnaire, however some of the questions are impossible to answer. Especially when it comes down to hiring as each individual Principal has the autonomy to hire the right fit for their school. With varying pay scales and other factors, this made some of the questions impossible to respond to. Mr. Fletcher stated that Wake County answered every question that was possible to respond to.
He also added the amount of money given each year by the State never meets the needs of the District. Money is always used in a responsible manor to keep school operational. There has never been “extra” funding given to meet this mandate. Allocations have been the same for the past 30 years in Wake County.
Closing remarks-
The Rules and Operation Committee should make a move one way or the other. Either approve it or kill it, but so something! This is unfair to allow Districts to sit and wait on what needs to happen for the new school year.
We are urging all of you to share this information with neighbor, friends and act. Send an email, call, write a letter, or sign a petition, anything you can do to make the Senators see that this mandate will hurt our schools. We need HB 13 to restore flexibility!
Mr. Fletcher is also always open to your emails if you have more questions after today.
**There was also a side comment conversation regarding a possible Calendar change for our school. Mr. Fletcher felt certain that Laurel Park would not be touched by this. There are other year round schools who are at lower capacity. He would rather see a Middle School such as Lufkin move before Laurel Park.
The Board of Education will be meeting again on April 5th to discuss.
His presentation focused on why we need HB 13 and possible school Calendar changes.
These questions will help you to clearly understand why HB 13 is important!
Why is there a push for lower class sizes now ?
Historically, the NC General Assembly has allocated funds toward teaching positions based on teacher to student rations. With guidance from NC Department of Public Instruction, Districts used that allocation to staff all regular classrooms plus other positions required by the NC Standard Course of Study. Those positions include Art, music, PE as well as positions in reading intervention.
Norms where established over time that the average class size in a District could exceed the recommended class size by 3 students. This has happened in classrooms over a long period of time.
Last year, a few Senators decided to enforce a strict adherence to a set of maximum class size for Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Many Senators felt frustrated that cap sizes where consistently being broken even though funds were given to Districts to adhere to the mandate. They were unhappy with underperforming schools and felt that this was in direct result of overcrowded classrooms. They are now asking Districts why money was not used over the years to correct the issue of overcrowding by reducing classes sizes.
Districts across the state answered the NCGA by explaining that funds received through the State where used to maintain basic requirements to run the school. They have stated that these allotments have not changed much in thirty years, and it is unrealistic to think that schools receive enough each year to efficiently run a School District while hiring the amount of teachers that would be needed to meet the requirement. Rising enrollment make it impossible to keep up with the cap sizes.
What is HB 13 and why is our PTA for it?
HB 13 is a non-partisan bill that was created to give schools more flexibility in the wake of the new class size mandates. HB 13 doesn’t give put us back to original class sizes, but allows for the NCGA and the School Districts to meet in the middle.
So what would it take for NC Schools to reach the mandate if the HB 13 does not pass?
To keep up with the mandate, schools would have to hire additional teachers to meet the request. Overall, 5,500 teachers would need to be hired across the State to properly reallocate students to meet the cap sizes by a July/August time frame. There is also the issue of where we would put these classrooms in overcrowded schools.
I have read that HB 13 has already passes the NC House, is that correct?
Seeing that this was an impossible task, The NC House put forth HB13 to relax the mandate. This would be a compromise between what the Senate has proposed and what is realistic for our schools. This was passed unanimously in the House. 114 to zero.
The Bill has now moved to the Senate for consideration, but is sitting in in the House Rules and Operations Committee where “Bills go to die”. There is no timeline as to when the NC Senate will consider a vote on HB13.
What does this mean for Laurel Park?
Laurel Park would have to hire 9 new teachers to meet the requirement. However, there is no funding for LPES or any other school across the State to accomplish this task. This means that significant cuts would have to be made in order to create funds for new teachers. Those cuts would come from our school specials, teaching assistance and other support positions.
Where would the new classrooms go?
This is also a large problem and another reason why HB 13 was formed. Most schools across the State are near or at capacity. There is no room for classrooms. Mr. Fletcher stated that your gym, library and other common spaces would have to be utilized to create space. This would also mean that the State would spend millions of dollars outfitting schools to accommodate classrooms. This is also impossible to accomplish prior to the 2017-2018 school year.
How could we lose Gym and other specials that are part of the NC State Curriculum?
Students would still receive Gym, Music and Art. This would now be taught by your student`s teacher. It is our specialist who would lose their positions. However, Technology and Social Thinking would not be replaced.
Why not hire the Special Teachers to teach in the classroom.
Many Specialist are not certified to teach curriculum and are only certified in their respective areas. If they lose their job they will be out of work all across the State of NC as this mandate will impact all Districts.
Will this impact students in upper grades?
Yes, it absolutely will be felt by everyone. Since there is no limit on class sizes for 4th and 5th grades, teachers from these grades could be pulled to teach lower grades, causing classes to double up. We could see class sizes soar to over 35 children per classroom.
Will this impact tracks for our school?
Yes, there is a possibility that tracks may have to be condensed to fulfill this mandate. However, nothing has been decided at this point. However, this is a real possibility.
What is the timeline?
Currently, HB 13 is just sitting in the Rules and Operations Committee and there has been no deadline set for the Senators to vote on this. However, Year Round Schools should be in the process of setting their staff for the start of the new school year. Teachers should be receiving their invitations to return. This has all been put on hold leaving the schools in limbo not knowing what to do. Mr. Fletcher has urged Senators to make a move one way or the other so that Districts know what they are up against. It is completely unfair to keep schools like LPES waiting. The Districts are holding off on making cuts hoping that the Senate will approve HB 13, however they will only wait until May 15th, then the cuts will need to be made.
So our student`s teachers are providing instruction in Gym and other special areas? When will they have time to do this?
This is an important question, because your teachers use the time your child is at specials to do their planning. A planning period is guaranteed as part of their contract. State lawmakers have yet to address when teachers will be given this time.
Teachers are also a guaranteed lunch break. However some schools may lose Teaching Assistants who provide lunch duty coverage. This could leave Teacher`s having to cover the lunch. Many are asking when Teachers will get a break in their day.
What will the State do if they are not in compliance with the contract? That has not been addressed, but it is another concerning point.
So, as a year round school, what if we do not hire teachers needed by July?
More than likely, you student will start the year with a substitute. Hiring enough teachers will be a nearly impossible task, something the State has never done. In fact, Mr. Fletcher stated that the State currently has 100 open positions for teachers K-3 that Districts have not been able to fill for this school year.
Who makes the cuts?
It will be up to each school to make the new mandate work with the money they have. Cuts are not limited to Specials, but could affect Teaching Assistants, Literacy support even areas like our Bus Drivers. Nothing would be off limits.
What can we do to help?
The most important thing is to write your local Senator. But more importantly, send a message to Senator Chad Barefoot and Senator Phil Rabon. Although they are not Senators from our district, both are over the Operations and Rules Committee where HB 13 is currently sitting. They should be persuaded to make a move on HB 13. Another Senator to reach out to is Phil Berger, who is President Pro Tempor. Call, email or write a letter, but it is important to remember to make it personal. Write to tell them how things would be negatively impacted without our Specialist, teaching Assistance and Literacy support!
Mr. Nixon commented that he has seen this exact thing happen while student teaching in West Virginia and teachers left the State in droves. It was a complete failure.
Mr. Fletcher was familiar with this and agreed that this would be devastating to our schools in that manner. We are already facing low teacher hiring because of our pay scale and seeing a large number of teachers go to other states to teach for better opportunities. Without HB 13, he is afraid that losing more teachers would be inevitable.
A parent commented that she was down in the General Assembly for a field trip and mentioned HB 13 to a Senator. The Senator commented that Representatives is the House were forced to sign HB13 and that there were many things that were added into this Bill that Senators are not in agreement with. Is that true?
Mr. Fletcher had no knowledge of this and stressed that he as thoroughly read the Bill. He also mentioned that the House passes the Bill unanimously and that the Bill was also sponsored in a bipartisan manor by a Democrat and Republican.
The full Bill is online for anyone to read through.
A parent asked if it was true that the State has asked each District to show proof of were money was spent.
Mr. Fletcher did say that this was true. A questionnaire was sent out to each District to ask why money was not spent on reducing classroom size over the years. They asked for a report on how the money was spent.
Mr. Fletcher said that Wake County has responded to the questionnaire, however some of the questions are impossible to answer. Especially when it comes down to hiring as each individual Principal has the autonomy to hire the right fit for their school. With varying pay scales and other factors, this made some of the questions impossible to respond to. Mr. Fletcher stated that Wake County answered every question that was possible to respond to.
He also added the amount of money given each year by the State never meets the needs of the District. Money is always used in a responsible manor to keep school operational. There has never been “extra” funding given to meet this mandate. Allocations have been the same for the past 30 years in Wake County.
Closing remarks-
The Rules and Operation Committee should make a move one way or the other. Either approve it or kill it, but so something! This is unfair to allow Districts to sit and wait on what needs to happen for the new school year.
We are urging all of you to share this information with neighbor, friends and act. Send an email, call, write a letter, or sign a petition, anything you can do to make the Senators see that this mandate will hurt our schools. We need HB 13 to restore flexibility!
Mr. Fletcher is also always open to your emails if you have more questions after today.
**There was also a side comment conversation regarding a possible Calendar change for our school. Mr. Fletcher felt certain that Laurel Park would not be touched by this. There are other year round schools who are at lower capacity. He would rather see a Middle School such as Lufkin move before Laurel Park.
The Board of Education will be meeting again on April 5th to discuss.