The Texas Education Agency requires school districts to limit its student to teacher ratio at 22 to one in grades K through four.
The legislature's 5.4 billion dollar cut for public education has forced some elementary schools in Lubbock to request a waiver that allows them to exceed the state's standard class size limit.
Statewide more than 8,000 classrooms have gone the waiver route.
According to LISD Administration the circumstances aren't as grim as they seem.
"We were able to, through some really good planning, find efficiencies in consolidating some of our schools. By making cuts to personnel at our central office we were able to find the money to not touch our classroom teachers in any reductions there. Our number of classroom waivers are half of what they were last year," said Nancy Sharp, LISD Communications Director.
The Lubbock-Cooper School District also applied for the waiver.
Lubbock-Cooper Superintendent, Pat Henderson, said only one fourth grade class at their North Elementary exceeds the ratio and that the overflow isn't excessive.
"North's attendance zones are just packed with houses and they're continuing to build there so that's why the enrollment is so much. They have 23 students in some and 24 maybe in one. We're hoping next year that won't be the situation and we won't have to apply for a waiver," Henderson said.
School districts must file a reason for their student overflow to get state approval.
Among the accepted exceptions are unanticipated growth, financial hardship, inadequate facilities and/or lack of teachers.
