State Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol), who serves as chair of the Senate Education Committee, filed legislation that would lift classroom size limits for k-12 schools.
SB0197, if made law, would repeal the existing maximum class sizes, maximum class size averages, student-teacher ratios, and the prohibition against split-grade classes established by law. It would authorize each local education agency (LEA) and public charter school with authority to establish the maximum class sizes for schools under its control and jurisdiction. Transferring power from the Tennessee Department of Education(TDOE) back to local school boards while still requiring the department to set recommendations.
In a phone conversation, Lundberg tells The Tennessee Star that the legislation is derived from recent conversations with local Career and Technical Education(CTE) teachers. They expressed frustration that they could not take full advantage of recent funding increases due to state-imposed limits on class size.
A conversation with a rural district superintendent illustrated a circumstance where the district was required to hire an additional teacher due to being one student over the limit. The action required an additional required expenditure on an already underfunded district.
State law allows schools to submit waivers on class sizes for special circumstances. Lundberg said he views the existing process as adding an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. He contended that his bill will simplify things by putting the decision directly in the hands of those he considers best suited to make the decision.
The chairman explained, “I’m not trying to create classrooms that resemble college lecture halls. I’m just trying to ensure that local educators have the needed flexibility to address the unique needs of their districts.”
“If a district tries to create overpopulated classes,” he told The Star. “I’m sure the local school board will quickly have parents beating on their doors.”
The state senator’s view does not go unchallenged. Others fear that lifting limits could lead to unintended consequences for students.
“The Tennessee General Assembly often vacillates its position on local control of public education (for example look at the 3rd Grade Retention legislation)”, JC Bowman of Professional Educators of Tennessee told The Star in an email. “The most famous research on class size, the STAR study, was conducted here in Tennessee during the late 1980s. It demonstrated smaller classes increased student achievement. It would be hard to see how disadvantaged students in the early grades would benefit from larger class sizes.”
Bowman acknowledged that Lundberg correctly identifies a weakness in the current law – the slow bureaucratic process at the Tennessee Department of Education – but proposes that simply changing the process would rectify the issue.
“Create a faster and easier process by the state for the districts to maintain local control. This solves the problem Senator Lundberg has identified where a few students over the maximum class size necessitate a new teacher hire,” he said.
Bowman said he believes two things must occur before any legislative action takes place.
“We need updated research on the effect of class sizes on student learning and teacher retention. We should also consider what are the unintended and negative consequences of increasing class sizes,” he said.
He noted, “Policymakers tend to look at hypotheticals or projections, not at what is occurring.”
The Senate Education Committee is scheduled to convene for the first time on January 25th, at 2 p.m. Lundberg’s bill is not on the agenda, as that meeting is dedicated to introductions and a presentation updating the School Turnaround Program.
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TC Weber is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. He also writes the blog Dad Gone Wild. Follow TC on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]. He’s the proud parent of two public school children and the spouse of a public school teacher.
Photo “Jon Lundberg” by Jon Lundberg. Background Photo “Teacher and Students” by Max Fischer.
