Spike In Kindergarten Registrations At Bayville Elementary School Leads To Larger Classes

A late summer rush of registrations at the Bayville Elementary School has resulted in larger kindergarten classes than Superintendent James D. Roselli wants to see.

So Roselli plans to meet with parents with kindergartners at the Bayville School at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The school had an additional 27 registrations over the summer, 18 of them in mid-to-late August, Roselli said.

"It was a huge influx," he said Friday.

Roselli discussed the issue at the Sept. 20 Board of Education meeting, after the board returned from an executive session.

"I apologize for going into closed session," he told the sparse audience at the Berkeley Township Elementary School. "We had to discuss the enrollment at the Bayville School. We are in the process of formulating options for you. We will address your concerns and provide options and alternatives."

Roselli declined to discuss the options on Friday and said he would prefer to wait until the meeting with parents on Wednesday.

"The bottom line is, the smaller the class, the more individual attention they receive," he said. "We have actually gone up a class since school started."

Resident Lori Santucci, whose son attends kindergarten at the Bayville School, said she was concerned about the class sizes.

"I wouldn't want to be in a class with 25 children," she said. "I'm more concerned about the safety for all of the children."