JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When parents began noticing more students in their children’s kindergarten classes, they started asking questions. Action News Jax followed up for answers.
“Floored by it,” said Sam Reynolds, a St. Johns County parent whose five-year-old is on an IEP.
Another parent, Katherine Crockett, said it’s incredibly frustrating. She’s concerned not only about the education the kids are getting, but about their safety and the impact on teaching.
Parents we spoke with were clear about one thing: they’re very happy with Palencia’s teachers and principal. Their concern is the numbers.
What the district confirmed
This school year, Palencia has four kindergarten teachers for 85 students, or about 21 per class. Last school year, it had five kindergarten teachers for 95 students, or 19 per class. The district says the change was due to budget constraints.
Florida caps core classes for kindergarten through third grade at 18 students. Palencia’s current class size average for those grades is 20.76, which is above the state cap. The district says that average includes all students in kindergarten through third grade, plus the ESE pre-K class.
The district is using school-wide averages under Section 1003.631 of Florida law, which lets qualifying schools meet class size by average rather than classroom by classroom. Even using that average, Palencia is above 18.
And it’s not just Palencia. The district confirmed that every school and every grade level, K-12, is part of the class size increase. The larger classes are expected to stay in place for the rest of the school year.
No extra help coming
Parents told Action News Jax some kindergarten classes have already reached 23 students, and enrollment is ongoing.
Reynolds wanted to know if there’s a plan to add a teacher’s aide.
The district says new kindergarten students will typically be divided among the existing four classes. It also says additional staff is not typically added after the October enrollment count, known as FTE Survey 2.
Emails between parent Katherine Crockett and Cathy Hutchins, the district’s regional superintendent for elementary and K-8 schools, show kindergarten classes are expected to fall out of state compliance for the first time.
Palencia, along with any other schools over the cap, will be included in the district’s compliance plan to the state. That plan is due in February 2027.
“Are we an outlier?”
Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen was candid about what was coming at his April Budget Address.
“Our teachers and our students are hurting… because now we have to raise class sizes on our kids, and that’s ridiculous,” Asplen said.
Now those figures are real students, in classrooms that keep getting fuller.
“Are we an outlier, or are we the ones that are bearing the brunt of it?” Sam Reynolds asked.
Action News Jax will continue to follow how many St. Johns County schools end up in the district’s compliance plan to the state.
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