Funding of our Public High Schools
& Changes to the Class Size Amendment
Wellington High’s School Advisory Committee (SAC) is holding a forum on the Funding of our Public High Schools & Changes to the Class Size Amendment. State legislators and County school board members will speak and answer questions from the public and press. The forum will be on December 1, 2011 at 7:00pm in the Theatre at Wellington High School.
Invitations to speak have been sent to Florida Senators Benacquisto, Bogdanoff, Negron and Sachs; Representatives Abruzzo, Berman, Bernard, Clemens, Pafford, Perman and Rooney; and School Board Members Andrews, Brill, and Shaw. Their districts run through or near the High School’s boundaries.
The SAC hopes concerned, interested people from all of Palm Beach County will join them to learn more about how funding issues may impact our high schools and to let elected officials know that they care. Are there programs, courses, activities, clubs, or teams that could be jeopardized by a funding crisis? How can schools pay for what is most important? What is most important, and who decides?
This forum developed from questions about redefining core curriculum enacted through SB2120, particularly as it relates to A.P. and A.I.C.E courses students take to satisfy a graduation requirement but which may also be eligible for college credit. The SAC’s focus quickly changed to funding issues as a whole when they considered some of the possible ramifications of reverting back to 2009-10 standards.
“I just thought it was crazy that required courses are now ‘extra-curricular’ if they might also qualify for college credit,” said Sharon Mullen, Co-Chair of the Sub-Committee on Core Curriculum. “Was redefining ‘Core’ just a way to get around funding the Class Size Amendment?”
“Then I thought: what would happen if these courses were ‘Core’?” Mullen continued. “Principal Crocetti has been great, keeping these class sections down to 30 students. 60 kids can fill two sections. If the course reverted to ‘Core’, only 50 kids could enroll in the two sections. What happens to the other 10? We can’t afford to bring in another teacher or offer a section to only 10 students these days. I want these advanced courses available to more students, not fewer.”
The Class Size Amendment limits the number of students in a core high school course section to 25.
This SAC does not think Florida’s voters intended the Class Size Amendment to dilute our children’s educational experience, but rather to codify the concept that smaller classes are better for students than larger ones. “In reducing by nearly 75% the number of classes formerly designated as ‘core’, the Florida Legislature, Governor and Department of Education decided on a solution which I believe violates the spirit of this law,” said another SAC member.
For more information, please email sac_meeting@sent.com