Burleigh Elementary Plans Split-Grade Classes

The Elmbrook School Board on Tuesday supported proposals to reinstate a middle school music teacher and add high school teachers in the 2011-12 school budget. 

But no additional staff was proposed at Burleigh Elementary, leaving intact a plan to create two combined classes of fourth- and fifth-graders.

Burleigh Principal Bil Zahn and the two teachers who volunteered to teach the combined classes — Jennifer Bates and David Schmipf — spoke enthusiastically about the plan, saying the students would benefit from instruction by two teachers plus a student intern. 

"We're going to make this so people want" their children to be assigned to the combination class, Zahn said. 

"I'm excited about it," Schimpf said.

Zahn acknowledged he wouldn't have proposed the solution had Elmbrook not been struggling with a $4.2 million deficit, due to cuts in state revenue authority and declining enrollment.

Enrollment projections show Burleigh will have 123 fourth-graders next fall and 93 fifth-graders. The district authorized a total of eight teachers for those 216 students, which would lead to an average class size for fourth grade of 30.75 students. 

Zahn instead is proposing four fourth-grade classes, two fifth-grade classes and two combined fourth- and fifth-grade classes. The move reduces the average class size to 27.

There would be about nine fourth-graders and 18 fifth-graders in the combined classes.

Administrators and teachers are working this week on who will be placed in the classes, after parents gave their choices earlier this month.

Elmbrook School Board member Tom Gehl said he initially "recoiled" at the proposal of a combined class. But neither he nor any other board member urged the district to drop the move or authorize more teachers at Burleigh.

One mother of a fourth-grader at Burleigh told the board she was concerned that as the teacher grouped students in the combined class according to their abilities, that a fifth grader could be grouped with fourth graders. 

That could cause a fifth-grader to have low self-esteem and poor motivation to succeed, said the mother, who said she also has taught fifth-grade for 22 years in another school district.

Asked to respond to emails from concerned parents, Zahn said the proposal has moved so fast that there might not have been enough communication to parents.

"Change is difficult," he said.

But he and the teachers stressed that fourth-graders and fifth-graders in the combined class will be instructed with different curriculum for their grade level, taking into consideration their personal development like all teachers do.

Students will also continue to celebrate grade-level traditions and ceremonies. 

Zahn said interest in the intern position has been strong, with some applicants having prior experience in combined classes.

The School Board plans to vote on the 2011-12 budget at its June 14 meeting. Final adjustments then will be made in fall after more concrete enrollment figures are determined on the third Friday in September.

But on Tuesday, administrators recommended the board reinstate one full-time music teacher at the middle school level, which would allow the board to reverse a layoff notice and avoid larger music classes and more traveling teachers.

Christine Hedstrom, assistant superintendent for human resources, also recommended the board add eight full-time teachers between the two high schools — at least three for physical education to reduce class sizes and five others whose placement would be determined by principals.

Hedstrom said the high school principals had said students were being shut out of enrolling in desired classes because the enrollments were too large, but not large enough to create another section.