(Note by me: also-teachers are having to pay for 100% of their classroom supplies(no reimbursement)-and,at least in my partner's school, 99% of the student body falls below the poverty level,so the teachers usually feed and try to clothe their kids. Teacher's Assistant positions have been eliminated as a budget cutting measure)
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20111010-many-of-texas-youngest-students-have-larger-classes-this-year.eceMany of Texas’ youngest students will have more classmates this year than last. Based on estimates from the state and local school districts, many hundreds more classrooms in kindergarten through fourth grade will bump over the mandated maximum of 22 students.
What’s far less clear is the effect on the education of those students. Education experts agree there’s little data on the impact of small increases in class size.
On the other hand, there is general agreement that the change in Texas is due to state cuts in funding for public education.
Districts that want to exceed 22 students per classroom for lower grades are required to request a formal waiver from the state. (There is no state cap for higher grades.) This year, for the first time, financial hardship was added to the list of acceptable reasons for exceeding 22 students.
For some districts, the increase in over-22 classrooms has been dramatic. Last year, for instance, the Richardson school district asked for 10 waivers. This year, the number is 268. Frisco asked for eight last year. This year the number is 110. Mesquite’s total last year was 39. This year it’s asking for 45.
Some large Texas districts have seen big jumps in waiver requests. Houston ISD received 693 waivers last year. This year, the district is asking for about 1,105. Northside ISD, near San Antonio, asked for only one waiver last year. This year, the number is 440.