There’s a lot not to like about mandatory (hard cap) class-size rules once you get beyond the ideal that, all things being equal, smaller teacher-to-student ratios are always better. But all things–from the economy to budgets to certified teachers to facilities–never are.
But what is particularly off-putting is a formula of rewards and penalties, approved by the Legislature last year, associated with compliance–whether by adding more portables, doing more co-teaching or just refusing new registrants no matter where they live. In effect, it pits districts against each other–as if class-size pressures and dynamics were equal.
Hillsborough, for example, could miss out on millions of dollars if it is found to be even a couple of students over the limit when the state makes its official tally next month. As it now stands, however, it looks more likely that the county could reap $30 million or more in rewards. The reward money would come at the expense of those penalized for not complying with the final phase of the class-size amendment that voters approved in 2002.
And then there’s this. In November, voters will get a chance to roll back the class-size limits to last year’s more manageable requirement. Timing, indeed, is everything.