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Manchester School Board On Track To Limit Class Sizes

Ryan Lessard
/
NHPR

A Manchester School Board subcommittee has approved a policy restricting class sizes. And this could be the first step in resolving the school district’s overcrowding problem.

The school board’s curriculum and instruction subcommittee approved setting clear limits to class sizes.

Manchester Superintendent Dr. Thomas Brennan says, “That will help in my opinion crystallize what our true staffing needs are, rather than guessing each year.”

Brennan says that even with these requirements, they may not have the staff next year to be compliant. But, he says, it will point them in the right direction.

As proposed, the largest class will have 30 students (24 for labs), which is in line with state standards. A minimum enrollment threshold of 15 students was also stipulated. The policy would also give administrators more latitude to limit the number of students requesting full course loads above and beyond the graduation requirements.

The policy, which the Superintendent’s office pulled from the playbooks of the Concord and Bedford school districts, has to be voted on in one more subcommittee before being sent to the full board.

Before becoming a reporter for NHPR, Ryan devoted many months interning with The Exchange team, helping to produce their daily talk show. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in Manchester with a major in Politics and Society and a minor in Communication Arts. While in school, he also interned for a DC-based think tank. His interests include science fiction and international relations. Ryan is a life-long Manchester resident.

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