The Pendleton School District is planning to reduce the number of teachers for the rising fifth grade at McKay Creek Elementary from three teachers to two. This particular group of students has had three teachers every year since kindergarten, due to its large size.  Currently, our students are in class sizes of 19-20 students.  According to a District official, however, they expect next year to have class sizes of 28-31 students. This extra 9-11 students is an intentional increase of nearly 30%.

Fifth grade is a pivotal year to prepare students for middle school. Our children are still catching up after the pandemic and online learning. Now is not the time to increase class sizes to an extremely high number. We should be aiming to keep the ratio low.

By signing this petition, you are letting our School District and our School Board know you support maintaining three teachers for rising fifth graders at Mckay Creek Elementary.