The Bremerton School District is growing.
In the past year, 400 new students have enrolled in the district, said Aaron Leavell, district superintendent. The additions have stretched many classrooms beyond capacity.
Thirty-five classrooms are over-capacity districtwide. Meaning, they’re above the negotiated class size based on the teachers’ bargaining agreement, said Patty Glaser, communications coordinator.
Leavell attributes the increase to higher birth rates in the area, extended stays in port by the USS Stennis and USS Nimitz and new affordable housing.
The Nimitz will be docked at Naval Base Kitsap (NBK) for 16 months while it undergoes scheduled maintenance. About 2,200 sailors will transfer from Everett to NBK, including about 1,200 families, according to published reports in the Everett Herald.
Compounding the problem is pressure from legislature to reduce class size.
With the passing of Initiative 1351 in November, Washington schools have until 2017-2018 to meet specific student to teacher ratio averages.
Kindergarten through third grade need the greatest reductions. I-1351 mandates they average 15 students to one teacher. According to Leavell, current K-3 average ratios are: kindergarten 20 students to one teacher; first grade 21:1; second and third is 24:1.
To meet the requirements, the district needs to add about 20 new classrooms, Leavell said. It is uncertain as to how the district will acquire new classrooms, but it will likely be costly.
“Portables (classrooms) are one option and we are looking at the total needs of the district and how to be accommodate the requirements,” Glaser answered in an email.
Last April, the district spent $250,000 on a two-classroom portable to replace the one destroyed in a fire at Armin Jahr Elementary.
The district is also considering redrawing school attendance boundaries, Glaser said.
“There are only two elementary schools in east Bremerton so if we continue to grow beyond capacity in those schools, we may need to change the boundaries between our schools,” Glaser said.
