JUSTIN COOK The Roanoke Times

Kindergartners listen to teacher Kaye Bond reading a Clifford book to them at Shawsville Elementary School. The school is looking to hire an additional instructional aide soon to ease the burden on Bond and fellow teacher Julia Griffith.

| Anna L. Mallory

anna.mallory@roanoke.com, 381-8627

SHAWSVILLE -- Rising student enrollment is putting Montgomery County's elementary schools above the school board's desired pupil-to-teacher ratios.

The county's goal is to have no more than 18 students per teacher in kindergarten through third grades, and no more than 24 in fourth and fifth grades.

The school board shot for such low teacher-to-student ratios because research shows smaller classes give students more one-on-one time with teachers.

While the county remains well within the state's guidelines -- 29:1 in kindergarten, 30:1 in first through third grades and 35:1 in grades four and five -- some classes have climbed to as many as 22 students per instructor.

Districtwide, the county's elementary schools have 4,435 students, according to enrollment data collected Sept. 1

"It can be a challenge," said Shawsville Elementary School kindergarten teacher Julia Griffith, who has 23 students in her class.

Teachers are required to have a full-time aide if their classes grow to more than 24 students.

Griffith has one special-education aide, and the school could see an additional instructional aide soon to ease the burden on Griffith and fellow teacher Kaye Bond.

That position is expected to be filled in the next few weeks, she said. Principal Amy Williams said she has begun reviewing applications for the position, which will be shared between both teachers. The county posted for just one aide, and whether any others will come through is unknown.

Shawsville has the highest number of kindergartners, 44, in the county. Schools with higher enrollments include Christiansburg and Harding Avenue elementary schools.

Each of the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classes at Christiansburg exceeds 20 students. At Harding, the school's two fourth-grade teachers share 45 students.

Griffith, who is in her sixth year teaching kindergarten, said this class is probably the largest she's seen. But she, Bond and other staff members have worked to find a way to deal with the higher numbers.

In the school's computer and reading lab, dubbed the literacy connection lab, the young students are assisted by not only Griffith and her part-time aide, but also by a special-education aide, the lab's coordinator and a Title 1 assistant. Title 1 dollars are federal money given to schools with low-income students.

The three adults help Griffith maintain face time with her young students. In one instance Thursday, she helped a student recall some of his favorite red objects and attempt to spell them phonetically.

"It's important [having the help]," she said. "Because kindergarten is their foundation."