Long Beach Officials Upbeat About Class-Size Reduction

No one’s mad at Susan Rivard.

In fact, the principal of William F. Prisk Elementary School says news reports about back-to-school chaos stemming from smaller class sizes simply don’t apply to Long Beach.

Yes, there have been some inconveniences, she says. Yes, there are parents who are having some problems with staggered school schedules, and schools that are cramped for space. But, no, she isn’t dealing with dazed children, stressed-out teachers or angry parents.

Referring to the state plan that gives school districts at least $19,500 for shrinking class sizes to 20 students per teacher, Rivard says: “We’re very happy. The parents are thrilled. We’ve reduced the size of our kindergarten, first and second grades. It’s working and we love it.”

Long Beach Unified School District Supt. Carl Cohn, who oversees 56 elementary schools serving 44,000 students, says he too has been surprised by how quickly people have adjusted to the sudden and sweeping changes.

“Mostly teachers are expressing genuine enthusiasm,” Cohn says. “It’s not universal, of course. There are people who are expressing concerns about scheduling, decision-making and classroom space. Some believe the governor’s decision was political, and they say, ‘Let’s not rush in to reduce class size in one fell swoop.’ But most people are very positive.”

In Long Beach, some schools have reduced class size in one grade, others have already cut class sizes in all of their primary classrooms, kindergarten through third grade. By November, Cohn says, all Long Beach public schools will have reduced the student-teacher ratio in some grades.