Act now, and let your representatives know you support a fix for a critical class size bill.

UPDATE 4/24/2017: The Senate Education Committee will discuss and vote on HB13 today at 6:00 p.m. Click here for contact info for the Senate Education Committee.

Updated April 2017.

The NC House has passed House Bill 13, which addresses an important change in K-3 class size that occurred in the last legislative session. However, the legislation appears to have stalled in the NC Senate.

It is imperative that the state relax restrictions on class sizes, a move that can help save local P.E., music, art, and other enhancement teachers.

[Raleigh News & Observer article about HB13]

[SVL Free News article about local impact for I-SS]

While OS1 supports smaller class sizes, the current law reducing class sizes lacks funding to hire the extra classroom teachers needed to follow the law. In I-SS, that would be more than $3.1 million. The only option would be to eliminate arts and physical education teachers in elementary grades to comply. (Mooresville Graded Schools has opted to make cuts from construction/facilities budgets to cover the more than $1 million gap for their system, but MGSD warns they cannot do such a move again in following years.)

It’s important that you call or write your representatives today and encourage them to support House Bill 13.

You can include language such as:

I’m writing today to encourage your support of House Bill 13, which is currently in committee in the NC Senate. House Bill 13 fixes an unfunded mandate to reduce K-3 class size–something that will cost school systems millions of dollars and could threaten important arts and physical education programs. This would mean our students’ K-5 teachers would lose their valuable planning blocks, and middle and high school students would be crammed into even larger classes. This wouldn’t be good for their education, and we hope we can help you change this issue for the better.

IREDELL COUNTY SENATORS

Sen. David Curtis, Repbulican – District 44
919-715-3038, David.Curtis@ncleg.net

Sen. Andrew Brock, Republican – District 34
919-715-0690, Andrew.Brock@ncleg.net