New Horizons for Learning: Teaching and Learning Strategies

POLICY ISSUE: SIZE OF SCHOOLS

DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE

Enlarging the size of existing school facilities to accommodate current student enrollment and/or anticipated higher enrollment due to growth by various means such as:

Retrofit core facilities -Such core facilities as the media center, cafeteria, kitchen, athletic facilities, administration areas, grounds, etc. may be retrofitted and/or enlarged in order to accommodate the increased student body. Additional permanent classroom space may be built and any portables eliminated or core spaces could be converted to classroom use and new core spaces built at sites with sufficient land.

Room Utilization - Through scheduling and room assignments, make sure that every student workstation is in constant use throughout the school day, assuring 100% utilization of the building. This may mean using such facilities as science laboratories, music, art rooms and other kinds of specialized areas as regular classrooms during some periods of the day. Another possibility might be to make music and art and other such programs itinerant by having those teachers travel to the regular instructional classrooms instead of having the students travel to the music or art room for instruction. These "special" rooms could then become regular classrooms.

Use of portables - Instead of building new schools, add portable classrooms as necessary to accommodate growth, consistent with core facilities size and land space availability.

Review Facilities Lists - The School Board may approve changes in the facilities lists which determine the basic size of any school they feel is appropriate.

The premise of this issue is the recognition that students are currently being served at their local school and that appropriate facilities to support the school's programs be provided, consistent with the level of enrollment, before students are relocated to new and/or other school sites.

PRESENT SITUATION in Leon County
Current education specifications approved by the School Board sets new school capacities as 760 for elementary, 990 for middle schools and 1730 for high schools. Current elementary schools range from a permanent capacity of 496 to 848, middle schools from 879 to 1152, and high schools from 1844 to 1955.
Elementary students do not move from room to room so each room is fully utilized (although classrooms are vacant when students are in resource rooms, such as art, music, computer lab, etc.). However, due to "changing of rooms" student capacity in middle school is figured at 95% utilization and high schools at 90%. Rooms are often "out of use" at certain times during the day due to scheduling. Currently, approximately 122 portables are in use at 30 schools to prevent overcrowding.
PRESENT SITUATION in other Florida School Districts/other states
Most Florida school capacities in the facilities list, according to DOE, are 750-900 for elementary, 1200-1500 for middle schools and 1800-2400 for high schools. Districts such as Indian River that traditionally have had 400-500 student elementary schools are expanding to 850, and larger districts, such as Dade are building 2000 student middle schools and 3000 student high schools. Urban districts nationwide, such as New York City, are moving to schools within a school with 500-750 students in theme or compact schools within the same building (schools within schools).

Broward
Policy identifies critical capacities at elementary as 175% of DOE FISH or 1,200; middle school as 140% or 1,500; and high school as 150% or 2,500 students.
Hillsborough
School Board "ideal" school size is exceeded at most schools. Over capacity is handled through the extensive use of portables. No overflow schools are used or zone changes because nearby schools are usually over capacity as well.
Lee
Uses DOE FISH capacities and adds portables as needed (130-150 portables in use for 68 schools), mostly for special programs: ESE/gifted, etc. Annually an attendance zone committee (appointed by the court order desegregation committee) reviews all schools for compliance (10-40% minority range) and utilization, then it recommends zone changes and busing.
Pinellas
Portables are used at schools that are overcrowded. When no longer able to accommodate, rezoning is considered if there is space in nearby schools.
Pasco
The Board has established capacities for all levels (800/1100/1500) but most schools are at or above capacity. Portables are used to relieve overcrowded conditions. The number now used is equivalent to six schools.

INTENDED OUTCOME - Affect on District Capacity Needs
Through the use of portables, changes in utilization of space within a building, additional classroom wings, and enlargement of core facilities, additional capacity may be generated at some schools, potentially reducing the necessity for new schools and/or rezoning.
COST CONSIDERATIONS
School Site
Capital
Cost of new construction or renovation is always site specific; however, retrofitting (remodeling/renovation) existing facilities within existing shell is budgeted at an average $38.00 per square foot (DOE average cost). Constructing new space is budgeted at $111.00 per square foot. Cost of purchasing new portables is approximately $30,000 each. There is an average setup cost of $5,000.00 per portable and an average removal cost of $3,000.00 per portable. Cost of leasing is approximately $9,000 annually. The cost per student work station calculated over the 15 year useful life of a portable is $80.00. The cost per student work station calculated over the 50 year useful life of a permanent building is $75.00.
The following is the estimated cost of building new facilities according to the current Board adopted Facilities list (excluding the cost of land and furniture, fixtures, and equipment):

Elementary - $9 million for 750 students
Middle - $11 million for 990 students
High - $28 million for 1,350 student stations/1,750 students core
K-8 - $8.6 million for 575 students

In the facilities need planning process, school size options should be compared to the above new facilities costs (on a student workstation/cost-per-square-foot basis) to determine the most cost-effective alternative, on a site-by-site basis.

Operating
In expanded buildings, personnel, utility, janitorial and maintenance costs would increase. However, on a per student basis, costs should remain about the same. Portable utilities tend to run about the same as permanent space, however, maintenance costs could be higher because portables have a shorter useful life and are not as structurally sound nor efficient to heat/cool as a permanent building.
District Level
Capital
No additional cost, other than that associated with enrollment growth, anticipated.
Operating
No additional cost, other than that associated with enrollment growth, anticipated.
Transportation
No additional cost, other than that associated with enrollment growth, anticipated.
Food Services
No additional cost, other than that associated with enrollment growth, anticipated.
Maintenance
No additional cost, other than that associated with enrollment growth, anticipated.
ACADEMIC CONSIDERATIONS
Research has shown little impact from large school size on academic achievement for most students; however, the psychosocial impact is discussed further below.

Programs
In general, two issues concerning school size have been argued. One view holds that large schools are better than small schools because they offer students broader and richer curricula, larger libraries, and better facilities; the other view argues that small schools are better because they offer students more individualized attention.
Discussion:

Research generally points to a negative relationship between school size and district achievement. When community or individual socioeconomic status is held constant, comparisons of schools based on enrollment size generally favor smaller units. Reviewing the research on school size and student achievement Howley (1994) concluded: a) small elementary schools benefited disadvantaged students, most by reducing the influence of background characteristics; b) no significant difference was found in higher order thinking skills between small rural high schools and those in larger high schools in more urbanized areas, c) small school size is also associated with lower high school dropout rates.
The author concluded that in spite of the apparent benefits of small school size for adolescents, policy makers still employ a powerful rationale to justify the continued creation of larger high schools. The argument being that small high schools cannot provide a curriculum with adequate breadth and depth to meet student's needs. He stated that evidence shows that total enrollment of 400 students is actually sufficient to allow a high school to provide an adequate curriculum (ERIC Document ED 372897).

Oxley (1994), summarizing the research on the effects of large schools noted "...that large school size adversely affects attendance, school climate, and student involvement in school activities and contributes to higher rates of dropping out, vandalism and violence" (page 521). The author proposes to divide large schools into small - unit organizations for all students -- particularly low achieving students. Some of the benefits of this type of organization are: a) teaching and learning is more stable, more supportive and more intimate: b) a cross-disciplinary approach to instruction is encouraged, and c) small units helps consensus building and staff involvement in decision making.

Another reviewer (Ramirez, 1992) noted that research shows that any type of school (small or large, urban, suburban, or rural) can achieve successful outcomes. He concluded that what is important is the organization within the building since a school is not a building but a learning community. Also, he stated that new technology has the potential to make many size issues insignificant. In fact, the optimum size of a school is a concept that is affected by the institution's mission, setting, and available resources. (Ramirez, 1992. In Source Book on School and District Size, Cost, and Quality , ERIC Document ED361162).
Conclusions
Summarizing existing research on school and district size, Monk (1992) listed these conclusions: a) existing research is not as conclusive as some policy makers would like; b) a larger school enrollment does not guarantee desirable results; c) recommended school sizes is no longer emphasized. Recent reform efforts have focused on local decision making and autonomy, and establishing "schools within schools" in settings where the schools have been considered too large; c) as measures of learning outcomes become more refined and available, it becomes less important for the state to specify sizes and organizational structures; and d) policy makers should remain receptive to novel approaches to reorganizations such as cooperatives and clusters.
Overall, recent research has found smaller elementary schools have been beneficial to student achievement, but school size research at the secondary level is not conclusive.
PERSONNEL CONSIDERATIONS
All personnel would be increased commensurate with staffing plan and other personnel allocations.
Classroom Teachers
Large schools ensure that control of students is primary concern and prevents the development of a collegial atmosphere among teachers. (Gregory, Tom) Teachers may be required to move room to room instead of having one room assignment.
LCTA
8.3 Special subject teacher assignments have been a problem - even when they all have their own rooms. If art teachers and music teachers have to "float," this language will need to be examined.
8.4 Defines elementary instructional duties as no more than 25 clock hours of pupil contact teaching assignments per week.
8.5 Discusses class size, but no caps or limitations.
Academic Support Staff
See Personnel Considerations
LESPA
NA
Administrative
See Personnel Considerations
Administrative Support Staff
See Personnel Considerations
Other Support Staff
See Personnel Considerations

STUDENT CONSIDERATIONS
Small school size is associated with lower high school dropout rates (Howley, Craig). Large school size adversely affects attendance, school climate, and student involvement (Diane Oxley). High school and beyond data suggest that creating larger institutions will increase misbehavior (Heller, Emil). Small schools have positive effect not only on extracurricular participation, which, in turn has a positive effect on academic achievement (Howley, Craig). There may not be enough extra curricular activities to go around in a large school.
Many students find the large school to be impersonal. Feelings of alienation may be mitigated in a large school setting by using the "Schools within Schools" concept. Disadvantaged students in some studies appear to experience the most negative effects in large school settings, though a slight positive effect has been found for the higher achieving, higher SES student.
PARENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
Parent involvement appears to be higher in small schools, but the effect is compounded by SES. Parents find the teachers and administration more accessible in smaller schools.
COMMUNITY CONSIDERATIONS
POTENTIAL BARRIERS

- Increases in capacity at a school site may place a greater burden on cafeteria, media center and other core spaces not designed for the larger numbers. This could be mitigated by appropriate enlargement of the core facilities, consistent with space availability.
- Some school sites do not have the acreage to accommodate a large number of portables.
- Teacher resistance to not having one room assignment.
- Parental resistance to use of portable classrooms.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS
Policy 5.10 calls for the approval of a facilities list and adoption of total and programmatic capacities for all school. Policy 5.09 calls for a relationship of facilities to educational programs in the context of safe, functional, adaptable, sanitary, comfortable, attractive, energy efficient and permanent and long lasting school plants. Both policies are general and permit maximum Board flexibility.
Policy 5.15 restricts elementary space utilization to 30 square feet per primary grade student 27 square feet per intermediate grade which impacts the size of new and the capacity existing schools.
"A school is not a building, but rather a learning community. The organization within the building is a key element to be considered." "The optimum size for educational institutions is an elastic concept related to institutional mission, setting and available resources." (Ramirez, Al)
REGULATORY/LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no restrictions on the size of a school in state statute. State Board rule 6A-2.0111 includes requirements for acquiring sites, minimum and usable acreage for certain types of schools, and provisions for waivers, but no constraint on the number of students to be housed on an approved site. Minimum square footage is related to student capacity and may limit school size for new and existing schools somewhat. F.S. Chapter 235, and State Board of Education Rules, Chapter 6A2 requirements must be met in planning, maintaining, operating and improving facilities.

Final May 9, 1995

Go Back to: Restructuring Educational Facilities Article

Copyright © 1997 New Horizons for Learning, all rights reserved.
URL: http://www.newhorizons.org
E-mail: info@newhorizons.org

For permission to redistribute, please go to:
New Horizons for Learning Copyright and Permission Information