Kindergarten Sections at Tenth Street Elementary Reduced By One

Due to enrollment numbers, the kindergarten sections at School will be reduced by one.

At Monday's Riverview School Board study session, officials said there currently are 29 kindergartners enrolled at Verner and 37 at Tenth Street.

The number of kindergaten classes will be reduced from three to two at Tenth Street. It will remain at two at Verner.

With two classrooms, there will be 18 and 19 students in the classes. At Verner, one class will have 14 students and one will have 15.

Parent Dina Tsambis, who has a daughter entering kindergarten at Tenth Street this year, said she would have preferred if officials left the third kindergarten classroom in place.

A teacher at Fox Chapel High School, Tsambis said smaller class sizes are beneficial for students and teachers because they help provide an effective learning environment.

With three classrooms, there would be two classrooms with 12 students and one with 13. That would be ideal, Tsambis said.

District superintendent Chuck Erdeljac said the district has set class size target of an average of 17 students per class in kindergarten through third grade. He said having 18 and 19 students per class is "doable."

School board member John Hackworth agreed.

"Having 18 and 19 per class is not unreasonable," he said.

Board member Anne Shearon said the board has had to make tough decisions for this school year due to reduced funding from the state. Though no employees are losing their jobs, a kindergarten teacher from Tenth Street will be transferred to fill a vacancy at Verner.

Erdeljac said if the enrollment numbers increase by the beginning of the school year, officials will revisit the issue.

"It's not mission impossible to create another classroom if need be," he said.