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Schools

Salem Schools Grows by 114 Students

Charter School adds 50 returning students. Committee is pleased with teacher-student ratios, but want them more level from class to class.

grew by 114 students over last year, including 50 who have returned to school to be in the charter school, Superintendent Dr. Stephen Russell told the school committee Monday night.

The total number of students is 4,778 students.

The has 1,254 students enrolled, 20 more than last year. Salem Prep has 48 students.

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has 649 students, 15 less than year.

The student to teacher ratios varied from the lowest at 13 students per teacher in some elementary schools to as high as 30 students per teacher.

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Vice Chairman Kerry Martin said she is concerned that the student-teacher ratios varied so widely. She questioned if the superintendent planned to work on leveling out the student class sizes. “What kind of support do they (the classes with a higher student-teacher ratio) have?” she asked.

Russell said he wanted to talk with each principal to learn why there are differences in class sizes. He suggested there probably are many factors.

Mayor Kimberley Driscoll said she was pleased that the student-teacher ratios were as low as they are. “That has been a priority of this committee,” she said.

Dr. Janet Crane asked the superintendent about the higher freshman student enrollment as compared to the senior student enrollment in the high school. She wanted to know if that difference was the result of the district's drop-out rate.

There are 385 freshman students this year as compared to 253 senior students. The high school this year has 331 sophomore students and 279 junior students.

Russell said there are several factors that impact on the lower senior class size. But he agreed that it was driven by the drop-out rate.

Other News

In other business, the committee agreed to name the auditorium at the for Kristine Wilson.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Steven O'Brien reported that the district is entering its second of four year program of enhanced professional development, thanks to an $850,000 grant as part of the federal Race to the Top program. In its second year, the program has $750,000 remaining, which must be spent by the end of the four year program.

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