Half of Elementary Classes Need Waivers
Sixty of the 120 elementary classrooms in Highland Park ISD need waivers. The Texas Education Agency requires districts to submit a waiver when any elementary class exceeds the state maximum of 22 students per teacher. Here’s the breakdown per campus:
Armstrong: 5 (3 kindergarten and 2 first grade)
Bradfield: 19 (6 first grade, 6 second grade, 2 third grade, and 5 fourth grade)
Hyer: 18 (6 kindergarten, 4 first grade, 2 third grade, and 6 fourth grade)
University Park: 18 (3 first grade, 3 second grade, 6 third grade, and 6 fourth grade)
Cristy Hirsh, the district’s coordinator of student and administrative services, told me at last night’s Board of Trustees meeting that none of the classes has more than 24 students; most have 23.
For comparison’s sake, the picture you see here is of Mrs. Head’s second-grade classroom at Armstrong in 1965, when she had 27 students, one of whom grew up to work for Park Cities People.
