Though Sisters Elementary School escaped harm in this spring's forced cut of $200,000, the K-5th grade school will not escape the knife under the $200,000 additional cuts planned in the school district's 2000-2001 budget.

Elementary school principal Tim Comfort, a five-year veteran, points to the projected fall loss of a full-time teacher as the most damaging of the cost-cutting mandates. Comfort says the current first-through-fifth-grade average class size will balloon from 25 to 27 students next year.

Further, some classes will be forced to accommodate up to 32 students.

Comfort is concerned, he says, because "At the elementary school level, we're charged with teaching kids to read -- future school success depends on a kid's reading skills."

According to Comfort, 25 is a critical number.

"Go above that number of students in early grades and the key to successful reading, a teacher's ability to focus in on every reader, every day, is lost," he said.

The principal maintains that small class size is most critical at the elementary level because young students are the learners most dependent on intensive teacher support, supervision, and direction.

The projected quarter-time cut for the school counselor is also a blow, Comfort says. The counselor is a vital resource in helping young children cope with issues such as divorced parents, attention or concentration deficits, trauma, conflict, aggressive behavior, and adjustment to a new environment, according to the principal.

"About one in three of our students enter or leave during the school year," Comfort noted. "That adjustment can be difficult."

Teachers, according to Comfort, used to be able to handle such duties, but with class sizes continuing to expand, a counselor has become necessary. In fact, Comfort says, increased class size makes student behavior more of an issue.

"And remember that kids at these ages are already the most energetic and have the shortest attention spans," he said.

Comfort says he also worries about the impact budget cuts may have upon his staff, as they see their work become less effective.

"Teachers, you know, really love to see kids grow," the principal said.