California is the wealthiest state in the richest country in the world. So why is California among the states with the most crowded classes? How bad is it?
In the US at large, our class sizes ratios rank 27 out of 34 OECD countries.
Average Class Size By State, 2017-18:
State Primary Middle School High School
California 24 31 29
Utah 24 31 28
US Average 21 25 23
Maine 17 19 15
Vermont 16 19 15
https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ntps/tables/ntps1718_fltable06_t1s.asp
Students Enrolled Per Teacher
According to the most recent June 2022 NEA report, California ranks at #1 among all states, at 22 students enrolled per teacher. (Student-teacher ratios are calculated by taking the total number of teachers at a school divided by the enrollment. So a literacy coach or math coach, a resource teacher, a PE teacher: all would be included in the ratio of teachers to students.)
https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank
Per pupil spending:
California has bigger class sizes and fewer counselors than most other U.S. states, and its student-to-staff ratios are among the highest, according to research released in 2019. Its teachers’ salaries are low, given the state’s cost of living and compared to other workers with similar education.
https://stacker.com/stories/641/states-spending-most-and-least-student-education
Public School Revenue Per Student in 2019
California: $17,350 rank: #32 among 50 states
New York: $32,000. rank: #1 among 50 states
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/per-pupil-spending-by-state
Class Size Caps
United Teachers of Richmond Contract, as of July 2022:
Grades TK-3: 22
Grades 4-6: 30
Secondary Class Size 35 PE 51
Oakland Education Association Contract, as of July 2021:
TK/Kindergarten: 26
Grades 1-3: 29
Grades 4-6: 30
Secondary: 31 (155 students/day) PE and Music: 51
Ed Code Class Size as of 6/2021
California Education Code (EC) sections 41376 and 41378 prescribe the maximum average class sizes based on limits established in 1964.
Kindergarten—31 students; no class more than 33
Grades 1-3— 30 students; no class more than 32
Grades 4-8— 29.9 or the district’s average in 1964
https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/pa/cefcsp.asp
Teacher retention
Want to fix the teacher shortage? Increase pay. But teacher polls also show that greater than 70% of current teachers cite large class sizes as one of their primary barriers to both job satisfaction and their ability to teach.
“New York City suffers from high teacher attrition. Roughly 5,000 instructors resign or retire every year, fed up with city teaching conditions — including oversized classes. The possibility of dramatically lowering class sizes could help retain many of these veterans.”- United Federation of Teachers, UFT
https://nypost.com/2022/06/03/bill-limiting-nyc-public-school-class-sizes-passes-in-albany/
Striking Teachers in Columbus, Ohio and in Seattle, Washington are demanding class size reductions in their contracts.
A list of studies regarding class size reduction and Black male student outcomes:
Conclusion:
Both the CTA and CFT advocate for class size reduction on their websites. But in California neither teacher union is actively advocating for or educating their members about the significant benefits of class size reduction.
CTA’s website states that the Optimal Maximum class size for both elementary and secondary classes is 20 students. California teachers need to organize on a state wide level for the funding to lower class sizes across all California Public School Districts. Tax the California billionaires to fully fund our schools. NCLB was supposed to include money for lowering class sizes. It was simply never funded. Halve the Pentagon budget to give our kids the education we promised them. Teachers need to generate the political will.
Best research and studies supporting Class Size Reduction:
https://classsizematters.org/fact-sheets-on-the-benefits-of-class-size/
—Mary Flanagan, UTR retired
Solidarity News 