09/13/2026
I want to address something I have heard circulating. I have not stated that Warren County Public Schools currently has class sizes of 30-to-1 across the district. That information is incorrect.
What I have said, and what I remain deeply concerned about, is class size and the staffing challenges that can directly impact the quality of education our students receive and the workload placed on our teachers. Just last year, we had a grade level at A.S. Rhodes that came very close to a 30-to-1 ratio. That should get our attention.
I am also concerned about what I am hearing regarding absorption of staff positions, and additional responsibilities placed on our current staff because we cannot fill positions. We have only three kindergarten teachers at Hilda J Barbour Elementary, and we have long-term substitutes teaching elementary students because we have been unable to recruit qualified educators for those positions. Who do you think is helping this substitute? The other teachers and staff are putting in extra work in order to make sure these students get the education they need and deserve.
Our special education staff are also being asked to take on additional workloads. These are highly specialized positions that often require additional certifications and expertise, yet we continue to struggle to recruit and retain people because we do not have the ability to offer competitive incentives such as sign-on bonuses and stipends.
Then we have a teacher explaining to a school board member about class sizes, does she listen and appreciate this teachers input? No, she instead looks for a way to prove this teacher wrong. This is not about blaming our teachers, administrators, or staff. It is about recognizing the reality they are facing and doing everything we can to help them before they become exhausted and can't do it anymore.
When classrooms get too large, when positions remain vacant, when substitutes have to fill long-term vacancies, and when specialized staff are stretched beyond their capacity, our students feel this impact and our teachers carry the burden.
We have to do better.
I believe every student deserves a classroom where they can receive meaningful individual attention, and every teacher deserves the staffing, resources, and support necessary to do their job well.
That means taking a hard look at class sizes, recruitment, retention, compensation, specialized staffing, and the overall workload being placed on our educators.
Our teachers should not have to continually do more with less, and our students should not have to compete for the attention and support they need.
Supporting teachers means listening to their concerns and doing something, taking action, making hard decisions and helping whenever and wherever we can.
