Jeff Ward

Class Size Doesn't Matter

It ain't the size of the class, it's the class of the parents!

That’s right! I’m gonna lay the blame for this latest bout of depression squarely at your feet. You had to bring up District 304 class size, didn’t you! So in order to perform my typical due diligence, I retrieved my dusty Evanston Township High School year book, which holds that hidden St. Nick’s Class of ‘72 graduation photograph. It’s been 40 years! But what amazes even more than the relentless passage of time is, though I often forget who I called after dialing the phone, I remember so much of St. Nick’s as if it were yesterday. What that picture did was confirm my recollection that our classes contained 25 kids. I guess I didn’t need to brave the basement and depression after all. Not only that, but when the classroom hit 90 degrees, …

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Kent Frederick

3:20 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012

My doctor will vehemently disagree with you. He thinks public schhols are much better, when it comes to dealing with children. We had a time when our son became very defiant, both at school and at home. He wound up seeing the social worker, and she did wonders in getting him to calm down. As it turns out, the bad behavior was a delayed reaction to the deaths of my parents and several other …   more ›

Parents Express Concern About Class Sizes at Mill Creek

Parents say some kindergarten and first-grade classes have 27 or 28 students. Geneva School District officials monitoring the numbers closely.

Two Mill Creek residents made pleas to the Geneva School Board this week to do something about the class sizes for kindergarten and first grade at Mill Creek Elementary School. During the public comment portion of Tuesday's Geneva District 304 School Board meeting, Melissa Swierczewski talked about what she called "the bubble of enrollment" at the school and asked the board to consider creating a third section for kindergarten. "This is bigger than just my little guy," she said. "I'm speaking to you about the big picture, not just my one student." Swierczewski said there were 27 student in her son's kindergarten class. "Even the most wonderful teacher—even that teacher will not have (a chance to succeed with 27 students.) There are too …

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Kelli Trejo

9:59 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013

We are in Batavia and are Zone 20 on the Boundary map. The District is attempting to shift the boundary and move us to Western, as you have suggested. My baby is in 3rd grade at Williamsburg. We had 2 children before her and we are a double-income family. Working full-time and living so far from school (any school), I have great difficulty getting to know school staff, other children's parents …   more ›