Wicomico Co. Public Schools pursues redistricting to combat ballooning elementary class sizes

WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. – Wicomico County Public Schools (WCPS) officials are embarking on an effort to redistrict elementary schools.

Schools Over Capacity

A number of the schools, WCPS officials said, are well over capacity.

“We have one school that is over 150 percent of the state-rated capacity. There are some others that are over 100 percent as well… It’s causing major effects down into the classroom level with some of our kindergarten classrooms being consistently—especially at Beaver Run [Elementary School]—26 to 30 [students,]” said WCPS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Frederick Briggs.

According to the Maryland State Department of Education’s Class Size in Maryland Public Schools, SY 2022-2023 report, the average elementary class size was 20.8 students. In Wicomico County, the average class size during that timeframe was 28.2 students.

In Caroline, Dorchester, Talbot and Somerset Counties, the report said there were no elementary classes with more than 30 students. By comparison, 20 percent of Wicomico County elementary classes had more than 30 students.

Beaver Run and Prince Street Elementary Schools in Salisbury in particular have seen ballooning class sizes, Dr. Briggs said.

“We’ve totally taken advantage of every single class. Even some rooms that weren’t designed for classrooms, we’ve turned them into classrooms,” Dr. Briggs said.

Smaller Classes Conducive to Better Learning

Dr. Briggs said that smaller class sizes are conducive to better learning environments.

“There is empirical research that shows a smaller class size allows teachers to meet the needs of the students better. There is, again, lots of research that shows that math and reading scores increase, especially at primary levels,” Dr. Briggs said.

And when class sizes are smaller, Dr. Briggs said it makes it easier for teachers to fully connect with their students.

“The more students you have in there, the more diverse need you have… It’s much harder for [teachers] to meet the needs of the most struggling learner to the most advanced learner that [they] have in the class, as well as dealing with the social-emotional and developmental issues that some of our students are having,” Dr. Briggs said.

In Maryland, class sizes are calculated using a number of factors. The average class size is determined by dividing the number of student course enrollments among included classrooms, regardless of class size, by the total number of classrooms, regardless of class size.

Redistricting Won’t Impact Travel Time, Officials Say

Back in Wicomico County, Dr. Briggs said any changes to elementary school districting will likely have no negative impact on student travel time.

“We’re not just looking at moving kids to balance enrollment. We’re looking to make it more optimal. It could actually even reduce some of the travel time for students,” Dr. Briggs said.

Dr. Briggs added that redistricting could also foster a stronger sense of wholeness for students, parents and teachers.

“By being able to redistrict and realign some of those boundaries, we think that it will make more sense and we will have truer community schools. So, it could be a benefit in multiple areas,” Dr. Briggs said.

Collecting Community Feedback

WCPS officials are already in the thick of gathering feedback from community stakeholders, said Dr. Briggs. Feedback may be submitted online, he said, adding that interested parties can use an interactive map to check how new district lines could impact them.

“We do care about what the community says and we want to get that feedback. The Board [of Education] is not making a decision on this until early February. So, there’s plenty of time,” Dr. Briggs said.

Looking ahead, Dr. Briggs said WCPS does not anticipate having to redistrict middle- and high schools as current elementary students advance through grade levels.

The Board of Education will hold a work session to present final school boundary plan recommendations on Jan. 7, 2025. There will be a public hearing on Jan. 14, and another work session, if needed, on Jan. 28. A vote on the school boundary plan will take place on Feb. 11, 2025.