Essay
Makayla Finnegan
Model Legislature 2024
Pro-Con Essay
Bill HF 2619
The Minnesota Bill HF 2619 intends to increase the margin of money
allotted for hiring teachers and faculty to decrease the student to teacher
ratio. There are many positive benefits that may come from limiting the
amount of students allowed in the classroom to one teacher. All students
need one-on-one attention, according to Childcare.gov, “One-on-one
attention helps children feel safe and secure and reduces feelings of being
overwhelmed—for both children and adults. This responsive caregiving is
very important to your child’s social-emotional development, physical well-
being, and overall learning.” Decreasing the ratios of students to instructors
will help ensure no student falls to far behind at that the teacher can better
get to know their students. As well as lower ratios helping a student’s
learning, less children in a classroom will help with burnout among teachers.
Elevate K-12 states, “high ratios indicate that teachers are likely
overwhelmed with work — leading to less capacity for meeting students’
individual needs.” When teachers are overwhelmed their students will too
feel like they cannot keep up. Passing Bill HF 2619 would help alleviate the
stress put on teachers and administrators caused by high student to teacher
ratios.
While Bill HF 2619 would provide less stress for teachers and students
there is evidence to suggest that smaller class sizes doesn’t equate to
successful students. In Florida and California money was set aside to limit
class sizes in Kindergarten through Third grade to less than 20 students per
teacher, however, “neither found conclusive evidence that all the extra
spending raised student achievement.” Another issue is that even if money
were allotted to hire new teachers there is simply not enough interested in
the field. Washington State reported that “Eighty-six percent of U.S. K-12
public schools reported challenges hiring teachers for the 2023-24 school
year, with 83 percent reporting trouble hiring for non-teacher positions, such
as classroom aides, transportation staff, and mental health professionals,
according to data released today by the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES), the statistical center of the U.S. Department of Education's
Institute of Education Sciences (IES).” The decrease in teachers interested in
open positions leads tax payers to wonder where their money will go when
new teachers are not hired.
Pros: https://childcare.gov/consumer-education/ratios-and-group-sizes
https://www.elevatek12.com/blog/elevate-in-action/high-student-to-teacher-
ratio/#:~:text=This%20ratio%20is%20an%20important,for%20meeting
%20students'%20individual%20needs.
Cons: https://www.mackinac.org/13269
https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/10_17_2023.asp