What's Happening in Dallas, TX…

Legislative leaders claim funding for education has returned to its former levels following historic cuts, yet in Dallas and across the state, thousands of elementary classrooms are overcrowded.

For the 2014-15 school year, kindergarten through fourth grade classrooms exceeding the 22-pupil maximum imposed by the state numbered 5,883. This translates into 130,000 students being in classrooms with more than the optimal number of student for learning.

This is important not only from an education point of view, but also from a community’s financial perspective. Average class size is part of the information given to Print companies to include in promotional materials used to entice new residents and businesses.

The school districts can seek a waiver to exceed the maximum pupil per classroom limit. Acceptable reasons for the waiver requests include lack of teachers, unanticipated enrollment growth, lack of facilities, and financial hardship. Of these four, financial hardship and unanticipated enrollment growth were the most common.

Being unable to hire enough teachers was the reason given by the Dallas school district on waivers sent in for 41 elementary campuses requests for 78 classrooms. Dallas’ situation is not unique to an area in which additional 13 districts were granted class-size waivers.

A waiver request is only supposed to be filed after all alternatives have been exhausted, but are generally granted, although low performance ratings from the prior school year can result in denial. Get a Free Quote for Print