Nov. 27, 2013:  A 5.2 percent enrollment increase at The Bronxville School for its 2013-2014 year, which exceeded the projected 3 percent increase, prompted administrators and the Bronxville Board of Education to discuss and analyze anticipated future enrollment trends in advance of budget preparation for 2014-2015. The district projects a 4.7 percent increase for next year.

Superintendent Dr. David Quattrone presented a detailed history of enrollment since 2009, along with projections to 2017, at the board's regular meeting on November 21. Concerns range from budget preparation, which is based upon projected enrollment changes, to class size, especially in the elementary school, staffing levels and the most effective use of staff, and the overall burden to the school's physical plant.

The 2013-2014 school year opened with a record number of students enrolled at the school, 1,717.  Significant increases experienced at the elementary school have prompted concern about class size. 

The average elementary school class size stands at 22.6, up from 21.4 during the 2012-2013 school year. Grade 1 has increased by 20 students to 119, and grade 4 grew by 15 students to 146. In anticipation of increased kindergarten enrollment, which, at 123, is up by 14 students over last year, the district added one section.

Quattrone noted that enrollment numbers remained rather consistent until 2009. Heidi Menzel, interim elementary school principal, stated that more students have enrolled almost each year since then.

While some grade 1 sections have as many as 24 students, each section also has an aide assigned to assist the teachers. Aides have also been assigned to some sections of grade 4, which has classes as large as 25 students.

PTA president Margaret Mager stated in a later conversation that parents care very much about class size, but that with Bronxville being an attractive community with a desirable school, small class sizes are almost impossible to sustain.

"I do think people are very aware of the larger class sections and very concerned about it," Mager said, "but at the same time, it seems that the experience the children are having is generally pretty good."  She commended teachers for managing effectively in their classrooms and noted that having "that extra adult, that extra pair of hands" an aide provides, helps teachers.

Quattrone described the significant increases as "pressure points" that the administration and board will need to consider as these groups move through the elementary school and into the middle and high schools. He reported that the administration is meeting with each principal to review anticipated staffing needs based on the projections.

For 2014-2015, the district projects 152 students will be in grade 5. The existing six sections will be kept in place. Grade 1, with five sections, is expected to have 135 students.

"The policy we have states that the board prefers to have classes of 25 or under," Quattrone said, addressing the class size issue. He stated that adding a section is a judgment call rather than a decision prompted by a "specific trigger." He described class size as only one variable of educational quality.

"The age of the child, the teaching methods that are being employed, and, in some cases, the subject, are what we consider in making judgments where to add staff," Quattrone said.

Speaking to the board, Mager emphasized the importance of demographer estimates in projecting enrollment. "How can we be confident that the projections for the upcoming year are adequate? It's very central to how we build our budget. How can we have confidence that we're not going to have issues in our school because of under-forecasting our enrollment?"

Beyond the issues of class size, Mager urged the board to consider the impact of increasing enrollment, projected to reach 1,779 students by 2017, on the common areas of the school's physical plant--the lunchroom, playgrounds, and gymnasium.

In response to questions raised by board members Dr. James Hudson and Pierre de Saint Phalle about enrollment growth trends and residency patterns in Bronxville, Quattrone stated that the only reliable evidence available to him is "who comes across the door." This year, he said, evidence indicated that students were returning from private schools.

Mager stated that the PTA is encouraged to see the district incorporating rising enrollment as a context in planning the 2014-2015 budget.

Pictured here:  A high school classroom in The Bronxville School.

Photo by A. Warner