Superintendent Suzanne Scallion assured the School Committee acceptance of School Choice in elementary schools won't jeopardize her intent to keep classes between 19 and 24 students per teacher.
WESTFIELD – The School Department could have as many as 107 open student slots for the 2012-2013 school year and hopes to fill some of them with School Choice enrollments.
The School Committee this week approved School Choice participation for next year after Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion reported room is available at the district’s elementary schools and Westfield High School.
“We will set the fixed numbers in about one month,” Scallion said after receiving School Committee support to advertise Westfield schools for School Choice students.
Current Westfield student enrollment is 5,837 and Scallion said district-wide enrollment has been dropping by about 200 students annually for the past few years.
Current School Choice enrollment is 71, primarily at Westfield High School and there are approximately 45 Westfield residents attending other schools in the area under the School Choice program.
School Choice enrollment amounts to about $5,000 per student in Chapter 70 state funding annually to school districts. That means every non-Westfield student enrolled here brings $5,000 to the coffers while every Westfield student enrolled elsewhere takes with him or her $5,000 to another school district.
“We want to fill as many open seats as possible,” Scallion said.
With the exception of Westfield High School, the city did not participate in School Choice for past three years.
Scallion also assured the School Committee that acceptance of School Choice in the elementary program will not jeopardize her intent to keep class sizes at between 19 and 24 students per teacher depending upon grade levels.
“We have available capacity and it costs the same to operate our schools whether each seat is filled or not,” the superintendent explained.
The current school budget is $52.1 million and state Chapter 70 funding this year is $32.5 million, according to School Finance Officer John E. Kane.
WHS principal Raymond K. Broderick reported that of the 71 School Choice students enrolled at the high school about 20 are expected to graduate in June.
School Choice will not be offered at the middle school level because of regular enrollment there, Scallion said.
Of the seven elementary schools, no seats are expected to become available at Juniper Park School.