By Stacy Henrie
Overcrowded classrooms and projected student population increases are forcing Utah schools to try and find solutions for growth concerns.
Westfield Elementary in American Fork has reached its maximum capacity in its second year of operation, said Michael Parkes, assistant principal.
'Growth is always a concern,' Parkes said.
With new developments in areas near Westfield Elementary, the school has been expecting an increase to the student populace, he said.
Schools have often accommodated growth through use of trailers, Parkes said, but such trailers often take up playground space and require students to walk outside in order to reach other parts of the school.
Westfield''s solution to growth issues is a modified extended day program with class size decreasing in the morning and early afternoon and increasing in the middle of the day, Parkes said.
Half of the students in any given classroom would arrive an hour and a half early to study literacy until the rest of the class arrived for a regular day of math, science and social studies, he said.
The other half of the students who came later would then stay after for an hour and a half for their smaller literacy session, he said.
Although the new program would require Westfield teachers to be at school an hour longer each day, most of them are accepting of the solution and feel it will facilitate reading, Parkes said.
'Students would get more individualized attention due to the smaller class size,' he said.
Stephanie Stevens, Westfield PTA president, said as a parent, she is concerned growth can inhibit the ability of teachers to work one-on-one with students.
Stevens said the modified extended program is a fairly good solution to growth problems, although some parents misunderstand at first the implications of such a program.
'When parents hear extended day, they are disappointed and frustrated, but once they see what the model is they are more receptive,' Stevens said.
A possible concern among teachers is trying to keep the attention of the students in the later group, while teaching subjects that require concentration, she said.
The Jordan School District has its own unique dilemma, with a number of school areas rapidly growing and other areas declining, said Dennis Johnson, director of planning and student services.
It is estimated the district will increase by approximately 400 students next year, Johnson said.
'Our growth concern is being able to provide facilities to house additional growth,' he said.
The school district is currently looking at growth solutions such as busing students, boundary adjustments, use of portable classrooms and building additional schools, Johnson said.