The Portland superintendent and the school board should set reducing class sizes as their No. 1 goal for the school budget.

As a parent and an educator, I have been spending a few days each week at our neighborhood school, Amanda C. Rowe Elementary. We have so many dedicated people on staff who love their work, love the students and love the community. They are highly skilled educators who are doing the best with their circumstances. But the reality is that the school is at a tipping point.

Rowe is a Title 1 school with a current student population of 482. The school is busy, full and loud. The classrooms are so crowded that it is difficult to move around because of the number of desks and bodies. The needs in each classroom include academic support, multilingual learners, students living in unstable housing and behavioral needs. One teacher with a class of 22 students is simply not set up for success with these demographics. By reducing class sizes, teachers and students will have more opportunities for engagement with learning and fewer overall disruptive behaviors. Students will have more space to move around and more opportunities to work directly with their teachers. Class sizes should absolutely be no larger than 16 students.

I implore those working on the budget to prioritize increasing staff as the current allocation of resources within the schools is creating an unsustainable environment that is fueling staff burnout and overwhelming students.

Maya Lena
substitute teacher, Portland Public Schools
Portland