The budget cuts made in 2015 by the Wabash District #348 school board that increased class sizes have negatively impacted the reading scores of students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. At Monday’s school board meeting, Director of Curriculum Shelley Richardson talked of the importance of students reading proficiently at an early age…

Richardson said since the budget cuts, class sizes in kindergarten have gone from an average of 13 to 23; first grade classes have doubled from 12 on average to 24 and second grade classes have jumped from an average of 15 to 25 students. That has also led to a dramatic jump in the number of students classified as special ed. Presently there are 216 students, or 14.5% of the entire district enrollment, in special education classes. Richardson said with the state’s new evidence-based funding formula, the district will receive over $281,000 in additional funding. She recommended using that money to hire three new teachers for Kindergarten, second, and third grades, 4 new paraprofessionals for K through 2 and an instructional coach that the state recommends. Richardson’s recommendations were taken under advisement by the board Monday night.