Fuller house

Class sizes increase due to unexpected large enrollment

Maddie Smith

More stories from Maddie Smith

Onlookers+%5C%5C+Teaching+to+his+third+period+physics+class%2C+Coach+Heath+Andrews+demonstrates+an+egg+drop+experiment.+Coach+Andrews+has+32+students+in+his+third+period+class.%0A

photo credit: Lauren Vasquez

Onlookers \\ Teaching to his third period physics class, Coach Heath Andrews demonstrates an egg drop experiment. Coach Andrews has 32 students in his third period class.

“What happened to dependability? The teacher, the students, the connections? A little voice whispers, ‘Kid, at this rate you’re going nowhere.’ Everywhere you look, everywhere you go there’s another face, a crowded hallway and classroom. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go there’s a face of somebody to compete with.” Now read it again, only this time to the tune of the Fuller House theme song, Everywhere You Look.

Class sizes have grown with the start of the 2018-2019 school year. The number of students in classes is now averaging around 28 students and the staff is struggling to accommodate each student.

Our freshman class is the biggest Wylie East has had yet, with over 600 students.

— Amy Andrews, head counselor

“Our freshman class is the biggest Wylie East has had yet, with over 600 students,” Head Counselor Amy Andrews said.

Since the beginning of the school year, students looking to change their schedule are finding limited options available to them, especially if they have a conflicting non-core class.

“Our biggest struggle is with the students who take a course that is offered only one class period,  like band for example,” Mrs. Andrews said.

The influx of class size may be due to the increase in enrollment, despite no additional teaching positions being added to the staff.

“There are approximately 70 new enrollment students and counting [as of Aug. 30],” Mrs. Andrews said. “That’s just right now, we’re expecting even more students.”

To add more faculty, the Wylie ISD district needs to see significant growth in the school’s population due to money restrictions. Which is why in the coming years, Mrs. Andrews is hoping the scheduling problems and large class sizes can be prevented.

“Hopefully, the district will see the extra growth and add more teachers in the coming years,” Mrs. Andrews said.

*AP and Pre-AP students looking to drop their advanced classes have only until Sept. 6 to drop their chosen class. (As of Aug. 30, 2018)