Class Size

Class Size. When the personnel report from each district is submitted to the MDE, the following procedure will be implemented: 1. If the enrollment in any class exceeds the student teacher ratios outlined in the current edition of the Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards, MSIS will alert the district, and MDE staff will notify the district in writing and request an explanation as to the reasons for the overage. 2. The district shall submit documentation that the situation has been corrected or request a waiver. The request for a waiver will describe the situation and provide justification as to why the waiver should be approved. This request shall include at a minimum: a. explanation and justification of an alternative educational program to serve the needs of enrollment b. the number of classes in that school that serve the same grade, c. whether there is a school reasonably close by to which the children over the maximum could be transferred, d. a clear description of why an additional class cannot be added to alleviate the overload, and e. other emergency, hardship, or special situations which justify an exemption. 3. MDE staff will review the request for waiver and make a recommendation to the SBE. 4. The SBE shall disapprove or approve waiver requests no later than forty-five (45) days after the receipt of the application. 5. A school district may appeal the denial of a waiver by submitting a request within fourteen (14) days of receipt of notification to the State Board. 6. The SBE’s decision on an appeal is final. If a school district violates the required student- teacher ratio, the state share in support of the funding formula for the next succeeding fiscal year to that school district must be reduced by the percentage variance that the actual student-teacher ratios in the school district is to the required student-teacher ratios established under accreditation standards. Any district meeting the highest levels of performance is exempt from the maximum pupil teacher ratio as outlined in the current edition of the Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards.