AUBURN — Something should be done to relieve large kindergarten classes at Washburn Elementary School, two parents told the Auburn School Committee on Wednesday night.

Bill Horton said his child’s kindergarten class has 24 students with one teacher and no teacher’s aide. The other kindergarten class has 23 students. Other Auburn schools have kindergarten classrooms with 16 and 17 students.

“Somehow we missed the boat” and did not allocate enough resources for the number of students entering Washburn, Horton said.

Other kindergarten parents feel the same, he said. “I have three letters from other parents who couldn’t be here tonight. There’s an issue.”

His son has told him about things that happen at school that makes him uncomfortable, he said. When one teacher takes 24 children on the playground, one student falls and scrapes a knee and the teacher helps that child, “who’s watching the other 23 kids?”

Some students have emotional issues, Horton said. “The teacher has to deal with being kicked and sworn at in kindergarten class,” Horton said. When a teacher has to respond to one student acting out, “what happens to the other 23 kids?”

Parent Candance Northrup said she has a child in one of the classes. Families have been given the chance to transfer their student to Park Avenue Elementary, which has smaller kindergarten classes.

Northrup wants her child to stay at Washburn, but asked that the teacher get more help. “Kindergarten is such a crucial age for early literacy.”

Horton wanted immediate help. “The solution is in this room,” he said, referring to school board members and the superintendent.

But no solution came Wednesday night.

Superintendent Tom Morrill said the faculty is addressing the problem. “I’m confident they will make adjustments and reach the right decision. That’s the task over the next few days,” he said.

There is a resource teacher who could provide some help, but that teacher is supposed to be for all Washburn students who need extra help.

Washburn Principal Holly Couturier said her school’s teachers talked about how to help the kindergarten classes on Wednesday. The teachers are working as a team, she said.

School Committee Chairman David Das said Auburn has smaller elementary schools, which makes it tough to deal with “a blip” in enrollment numbers. And in recent years the Auburn City Council has cut school spending to provide tax relief to homeowners. Tight budgets have led to larger classrooms, Das said.

No teacher contract

Speaking out about the unresolved Auburn teachers contract, Edward Little High School senior Chris Camire said the teachers union recent “work to rule” move is hurting students. “Work to rule” means teachers do only what their contract says, or no volunteering.

Camire explained that each spring the drama club holds a variety show as a fundraiser. With help from teachers, he was organizing a fall variety show. “Due to problems with the contract, I surrendered a lot of money that would have gone to the arts.”

One by one teachers said they could not participate, forcing Camire to cancel. The no-contract situation is hurting teachers, he said, “and now it’s hurting us as students.”

Camire asked the school board to approve a contract.

The teachers union and administrators are at odds over the labor contract which expired last year. To reduce costs to taxpayers, the school department wants to stop paying for health benefits for teachers’ spouses. In return taxpayers would pay 100 percent of health insurance premiums for teachers and their children.

High school test scores

More Edward Little students are reaching expected SAT scores, recent results show.

In 2007, 43 percent of EL students reached expected reading scores, compared to 45 percent in 2009.

For math, two years ago 37 percent of EL students reached expected scores; this year that number rose to 39 percent.

Also, 20 high school students performed so well in advance placement tests they could be awarded college credit while in high school. Some colleges give credit for high scores, some do not. On a scale of one to five, the students scored a three or better in three or more AP exams.

One student, Emily Dodge, qualified to be Edward Little’s nomination as the Maine AP scholar. Each year one male and one female are named the state scholars. Each high school nominates a candidate. Last year Dodge took nine AP exams, scoring high in all of them.