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August 27, 2008

Computer glitches, crowded classes mark first day of school

By Cara Spilsbury

Armed with backpacks, lunch boxes and eager, rested minds, students in Haverhill descended upon the city's public schools on Tuesday, Aug. 26, for the first day of classes.

But behind the scenes, the day was a frantic one for Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan and his staff.

"We had several surprises," said Buchanan after the first day had concluded.

First, the computer system crashed, causing some students to wait a couple of hours to register as long lines formed at the Haverhill High School guidance office. Second, issues arose with the school's transportation schedule as a few pickups were botched because of late registrations and other mishaps.

"As hard as you plan for this (the first day of school), something always happens," Buchanan said. "But I'm very pleased with my group. We correct it as quickly as we can."

Buchanan's biggest concern, however, is crowded classrooms.

Ideally, the district would like to keep kindergarten and first-grade classes as small as possible because of the direct attention students that age need. Buchanan would like to keep middle school classes under 25 students per teacher, but the older students are more adept at handling larger classes so the younger grades are top priority.

As of Aug. 21, average class sizes from kindergarten to eighth grade were all well above what the superintendent wants to see. The average student-to-teacher ratio in kindergarten is 23, while all three middle school grades average over 29.

Adjustments will be made by Buchanan after Labor Day, when enrollment always seems to experience a bump as the last students are signed up.

The issue is particularly difficult because the crowding is spread throughout the grades, rather than contained to a grade or two. In districts where the crowding is contained, a few teachers can be hired to alleviate the problem each year as the large class moves up. But in Haverhill's case, there isn't a quick fix.

Buchanan will most likely need to bring in a whole slew of teachers to help thin out the existing classes. He said that in the elementary education specialty, there are plenty of qualified teachers available and the school system also has a talented pool of certified substitute teachers who could fill in until a replacement is found, or be moved to full-time status.

Unfortunately, that means some students will have to change classrooms, a change Buchanan doesn't like to require once school begins.

Another change that Buchanan wished he didn't have to make was to increase the price of school lunches, but rising food and fuel costs left no choice, he said.

The district is also short on English as a Second Language teachers, a necessity to accommodate the increasing needs of the system's diverse population.

In spite of all the inevitable kinks at the start of every school year, the first day is still special one for Buchanan. This year, he will be the principal at Crowell Elementary School in addition to his duties as superintendent.

"It was great to see this kids this morning," he said Tuesday afternoon. "I love to see the first- and second-graders coming to school and their parents helping them. It does something to me to see that excitement. That's why I've stayed in (education) so long."

Buchanan also sees an exciting milestone on the horizon for this school year after seeing the preliminary scores from last year's MCAS. The official results won't be released for another month, but Buchanan predicts that this will be the second year in a row that MCAS scores have improved.

"It does something for a community, when you see your district's scores are improving," he said.

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