Florida Mandates Classroom Size Reduction

June 17, 2010— -- As the United States slips in world rankings of secondary education, legislators across the country have been searching for ways to take the country back to the top -- with class size reduction efforts a popular choice.

Come August, Florida will join 24 other states by fully adopting strict class-size requirements – and this at a time when many states are considering loosening such restrictions due to budget constraints.

Voters approved the amendment to the state constitution to phase in class size restrictions nearly a decade ago, and starting with the new school year, all public school classes must meet the following requirements: 18 students per class in kindergarten through third grade, 22 in the fourth through eighth grades, and 25 students in high school.

That means if a school has four first-grade classes with 18 students each, it would be required to hire a fifth teacher if one more student enrolls, necessitating a shuffling of students from their original classes to fill the new class.

Jim Yancey, public schools superintendent for Marion County, in northern central Florida, estimates he'll need to hire about 200 new teachers to meet requirements.

"We won't know that until we get to about the 10th day count when school begins in the fall," Yancey told ABCNews.com. "We won't know exactly how many classes we're over by one student or more."

Because of this uncertainty, administrators are forced to take a wait-and-see approach before making any final hiring decisions. Yancey estimates it would take about $12 million to hire enough teachers. The state's amendment notes that "payment of the costs associated with reducing class size … is the responsibility of the state and not of local school districts."

When the amendment was voted in, state funds were available to cover the costs of meeting class size goals. Yet over the years, funds have dropped, and school districts across the state are struggling to find the money to make that final leap.