Vulnerability of education

Not until Monday night's Board of Trustees work session did I fully realize the vulnerability of education in Columbia Falls School District 6, and some of the other school districts in Montana.

Based on what I have heard and read, I commend the trustees and administration for the approach they are taking. It appears that schools in town are packed to the gills, especially with the addition of full-time kindergarten to the student load. Thank goodness Glacier Gateway Elementary School, which is the old junior high, is a building of its size.

On Monday night, District 6 Superintendent Michael Nicosia took trustees on a tour of Glacier Gateway to see the recent renovation and improvements in the building. I was impressed with every classroom, the new tiling in the hallway and sprucing up of lockers.

"We've taken some giant strides with this building to make it nicer," Nicosia said. And the project did not take a single dollar from the general fund.

My mindset before the work session was that anticipated community growth and student population was the biggest issue. Enrollment numbers are very similar to this time last year, however. October numbers indicate that there were 461 students at Glacier Gateway and 468 at Ruder Elementary. Of the 461 at Glacier Gateway, 37 are kindergarten students who would be going to school at Ruder if there was enough room for them.

The district is doing OK on class size, but is pushing the limit in some grades. By district policy, here are the class size limits:

In single-grade classrooms, there shall be no more than:

? 20 students in kindergarten and grades 1 and 2.

? 28 students in grades 3 and 4.

? 30 students in grades 5 through 8.

In multi-grade classrooms, the maximum class size shall be no more than:

? 20 students in grades K, 1, 2 and 3.

? 24 students in grades 4, 5 and 6.

? 26 students in grades 7 and 8.

In one-teacher schools, the maximum class size shall be 18 students. An overload of five students per classroom is considered excessive.

Factored in is a huge issue: Dealing with special needs and Title I requirements. There must be separate classes for students who fit into those categories. And that means more classroom space is needed. There is no question that students with special needs should get the learning opportunities that they deserve.

Nicosia told trustees Monday night that there are seven Title I and special needs classrooms in Glacier Gateway alone.

"With Glacier Gateway and Ruder, there isn't any available space" for additional classrooms, Nicosia said.

Nicosia said there is space in the administration building for five to 10 classrooms. But accommodations would have to be made for that to happen, including shuffling of staff and room usage in the admin building.

"It's a change in how we deal with students," Nicosia explained.

Discussion at the work session then turned to Ruder Elementary, a newer building than the old junior high. An addition in 1996 gave the building a new gymnasium and five additional classrooms. That addition cost the district $72 per square foot, which was well below the estimate.

There is open space around Ruder Elementary, which will allow for future expansion. Nicosia said there are from 125 to 130 housing units either being built or planned for the area. That equates for a need for more classroom space — soon.

Nicosia and trustees agreed that the district should look beyond the near future when it comes to educational needs, and that a "phase" approach for expansion should be taken. Nicosia said it's a "matter of logistics of how we can fund it" and that cost will be a determining factor. And with school districts not getting as much money from the State Legislature as they would like to keep up with demands to meet the needs of students, they can get stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Some school districts have adequate funding for building and maintenance; others do not.

"When we don't have to make cuts, we're dancing in the street," Nicosia said.

Nicosia and business manager Dustin Zuffelato were directed by the trustees to investigate the options for expansion, boiling down to using building reserve money and/or a bond issue. Nicosia said he wants to get a "footprint and a cost" and to fully understand the funding portion of the project.

Discussion of what is in store for the district in terms of the classroom crunch will continue shortly after the first of the year.

"We have to have support of our entire community," Nicosia said.

It's an unenviable task for the district. To paraphrase what Nicosia said, "When we run out of money the kids stay home." The district will do everything within its power to not let that happen.

Joe Sova is managing editor of the Hungry Horse News.