Back to School

Cara Fitzpatrick

Superintendent Art Johnson abruptly yanked a proposal from consideration today that would have given him the power to move students, regardless of where they live, to any school in Palm Beach County to meet the state’s class-size requirements.

The proposal would have made Johnson the sole arbiter of where students go to school.

Board members unanimously approved the proposed language last month along with several minor updates in district policies. But at least three board members said this week that they didn’t realize what they were voting for.

For the new language to be implemented, board members would have had to approve it again today.

Board member Frank Barbieri said he read the proposal – a single paragraph added to the district’s student assignment policy – but thought it gave Johnson power to move a student for disciplinary reasons.

“I missed it, too,” he said of the broader implication of the proposal.

Barbieri called the proposal “completely unacceptable.”

The proposal said the superintendent or his designee could reassign a student if it’s in the “best interest” of the student, school or district or for another “good cause reason.” It specifically listed meeting the state’s class-size requirements as a potential reason.

By pulling the issue today, Johnson removed the item from board consideration and made it nearly impossible for board members or the public to comment.

Board member Carrie Hill asked to discuss the item anyway. Chairman Monroe Benaim said they couldn’t. He also warned members of the public to keep their comments to the remaining agenda items.

A few people bent the rules anyway – some to comedic effect.

Peter Kimball of Jupiter said he would speak to a policy about federal reimbursement for emergency disasters, but mentioned the class-size issue in his comments.

“Who is going to compensate the district for Hurricane Art’s latest disaster?” he asked.

Johnson gave no public explanation for pulling the proposal. It was one of the first indicators of how Johnson would comply with the state’s class-size law should Amendment 8, which would relax the standards, fail in November.

Nat Harrington, a district spokesman, said other school districts, such as Hillsborough County, have implemented similar policies to meet the state’s class-size requirements.

Johnson said months ago that he wouldn’t spend about $59 million to hire enough teachers to comply with the class-size law’s strictest provision. This year, core classes are limited to 18 students in pre-kindergarten to third grade, 22 in fourth to eighth grade, and 25 in high school. Electives are exempt.

Johnson plans to see whether voters approve Amendment 8, which would base class sizes on a schoolwide average with a higher cap for individual classes.

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