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Some Chatsworth parents are already pushing back on the idea and have started a petition that has 138 parent signatures. The parents are asking the school district to keep the five sections for fourth grade at Chatsworth.
Debbie Manetta, spokeswoman for the Mamaroneck school district, said no decision on class sizes will be made until Aug. 15.
“Enrollment numbers are very fluid and change on a regular basis,” she said. “So, they are looking at them daily.”
The current-year fourth-grade classes at Chatsworth had 24, 23, 24, 22 and 23 students. Taking away one section next school year would increase class sizes to 25 for all four sections.
The district reduced its class size guidelines two years ago for fourth and fifth grades from 27 to 26 students per class, Manetta said. Class-size limits, per the guidelines, go up in the older grades. It’s 22 for kindergarten and first; 25 for second and third; and 26 for fourth and fifth..
“We feel this increased class size will inevitably affect the academic performance of our fourth-grade students,” according to the group of parents who organized the petition.
The petition was started by parents of third-graders who represent the incoming fourth-grade class. They circulated it to parents Monday morning and said they plan to attend the Mamaroneck Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, June 17, to voice their concerns.
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