October 7, 2018
Overcrowding is an issue that has become exponentially worse. As the Commons get tighter in space due to substantial increases in the student population, more students are eating outside or in hallways. Teachers are either forced to raise their I Block class caps or sign students up to random available rooms.
The Lexington High School student population is growing and continues to increase each year, but with the amount of physical space remaining the same, students and faculty face new challenges.
“In the broadest sense, enrollment growth comes in two ways. [One is] new housing and development and [the other is] an increase in the number of households with children of school age. In my opinion, our enrollment growth comes from our success as a school system; Lexington is a desirable place to live for families with school-aged children,” Associate Principal Baker said.
Although the effects of overcrowding aren’t overtly detrimental now, serious issues are on the horizon. With greater class sizes comes less classroom space, which disproportionately impacts students with mobility issues. Without proper heating and cooling systems, crowded classrooms would also exponentially increase physical discomfort.
The impacts could also directly affect teaching techniques. A less flexible physical space could restrict educational creativity.
“We want to teach courses that are interesting and dynamic for students where you can get up and move around or you can shift the layout of a room within a class period. Because we are pretty tightly squeezed between spaces it’s hard to do any of that pedagogically. The space doesn’t support us very well for much innovation. The way that we teach and innovate is being hindered by the way that our classrooms are built,” Chelsea Baum, an English teacher, said.
More obviously, a higher student-teacher ratio would mean less personalized attention per student. In both Jonas Clarke and Diamond middle schools, multiple half-teams are stretching teachers thin as they are forced to teach multiple subjects. As students from boom years enter LHS, overcrowding will be exacerbated. In fact, the term “boom year” may prove to be obsolete as each incoming freshman class is enormous without exception.
Long-term projects are underway. Plans to build a new high school are in the works, but construction will not begin soon. The modulars added new rooms but are a temporary and multi-million dollar solution.
Instead, intermediate steps must be taken. Pedagogical techniques in classrooms and technological innovation must be designed to accommodate a larger student body.
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