Class Size Penalties Loom as Schools Open

Hillsborough School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia.

Florida’s Class Size Reduction Amendment is being fully enforced this year with rewards and penalties. Some districts are challenging the penalties, others say it’s cheaper to pay the fines than comply while Hillsborough officials expect to reap rewards.

Hillsborough School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia estimates it could cost her district up to $8 million if they exceed class size limits.

But at her back to school news conference, Elia said Hillsborough will meet the class size requirements. That means not exceeding student caps of 18 for pre-kindergarten through third grade, 22 for fourth through eighth and 25 for high school classes.

When asked, she reaffirmed that Hillsborough is not joining a lawsuit that challenges those class size penalties brought by the Florida School Boards Association and at least three school districts, Palm Beach, Alachua and Collier.

“We really feel strongly that when a law is a law and the public votes on an amendment as they did in 2002 that it is our responsibility to follow that,” Elia said Monday.

Hillsborough’s staff and teachers have been preparing for three years for the final implementation of the Class Size Reduction Amendment.

“And I will tell you there are some districts that did not use the funding that came for the right purposes,” Elia said. “And if they can’t meet it now, I think it’s reasonable to have a penalty.”

In fact in a press release, Elia made it clear she expects to “reap” up to $35 million in rewards for meeting class size requirements.

Elia acknowledged that some families may be inconvenienced if students have to be bused to a less crowded school. But she added that the district is looking at options like letting high school students take virtual or online classes and the district is trying co-teaching in some locations.