Horry County Schools committee votes to increase class size at middle, high schools

Horry County Schools started taking some preliminary looks at the districts 2016-17 budget this month, and some costs are expected to rise as usual.

To help combat those costs, the district may add a total of two students to each class size in middle and high schools over the next two years.

Since the district is expecting an influx of about 800 students, the joint finance and human resources committees voted to add one student to each class in all middle and high schools next year. Another student will be added during the 2017-18 school year to total two extra students per class by 2018.

The motion will go to the full Board of Education for approval on Dec. 14.

“This is something we’ve been talking about for a few years, and we’re going to have to find additional funding if we continue putting this off,” said Jeffrey Garland, board of education member.

A few members of the board of education initiated the conversation about increasing class size, though it was not a recommendation made by district staff.

The joint committees met Monday to discuss the 2016-17 budget assumptions and parameters so district officials could start preparing next year’s budget. The increase of students and fixed costs, along with the plan to build 5 new schools, leads to an assumed increase in costs, officials said.

The district expects at least 817 more students this year, therefore certain operational costs will also rise, according to John Gardner, chief financial officer for the district.

“You talk about 800-something new students, that’s a cost,” he said. “We’re going to have ESOL kids, special needs kids, so it’s not just regular teaching we’re going to have to provide.”

Principal representatives from middle and high schools told the district they would not want to increase class size; Janice Morreale, board member and finance committee member, seconded their wishes.

“Your Advanced Placement classes aren’t going to increase, it’s going to be your regular classes with 30 kids,” Morreale said. “That’s where there are kids who are most likely to fall through the cracks.”

The motion passed 5-1, with Morreale voting against the increase.

The average class size for area middle schools is about 25 students, and the high school average ranges from 21 to 26, Gardner said. The larger schools, such as Carolina Forest High, usually have much larger classes than a small school such as Green Sea Floyds, he said.

Adding students to classes would cut some teachers from both middle and high schools. If increasing class size by just one student, Horry high schools will lose 24.5 positions – including three from area magnet schools – and middle schools will lose 16.5 positions, Gardner said.

Losing those positions will add about $2.5 million to the general fund, he said.

“The thing is, if we cut a program, we’ve got people we’ve got to place somewhere,” Gardner said.

Those teachers may be placed elsewhere in the district depending on vacancies, but those teachers may not be able to fill those positions, depending on what subjects they teach.

“What gets cut isn’t one of the core classes, like math and English,” Gardner said. “What gets cut is a business teacher, and we don’t have many openings for those anyway.”

Last year the district budgeted $91.9 million above the 2014-15 budget, but most of the increase comes from the school building fund, which requires an extra $72.9 million this year.

District employees should be provided a step increase based upon their years of experience and any cost of living adjustment as determined by the state department, Gardner said. Last year all regular employees received a two percent salary increase, regardless of whether they were eligible for a step increase.

“It’s an election year at the state level,” Gardner said. “I would not be surprised if they mandated a salary increase for teachers.”

The annual budget begins and ends in July. The Board of Education must vote to pass the budget in May, but no action will be taken for several months.

This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Horry County Schools committee votes to increase class size at middle, high schools."