Running out of room

Orange County High School students are crying out for help as more and more students are packed into classrooms that are too small.
At a recent school board meeting, Orange County High School yearbook students showed school board members a slideshow they designed which contained pictures of students crowded into classrooms and hallways. The students' presentation was part of a board discussion on the overcrowding problem for 1,531 students at the county's only high school.
According to a recent study by Ballou Justice Upton Architects (BJUA), the school is quickly approaching its maximum capacity with some classrooms so full they actually exceed the occupancy code.
The architects looked at the high school and its current spaces to develop an architectural space program for a typical 1,500-student high school and compared that with Orange County High School. The architects found that OCHS is at 90 percent of its maximum capacity. However, the study includes all spaces used for the high school, including those off-site like Hornet Technologies, the field house and a space used for culinary arts at the Taylor Education Administration Complex.
Earlier reports suggested the school was at 110 percent capacity and while 90 percent is lower, it’s still not good, Orange County Public School Superintendent Dr. Grimesey said. He acknowledged that it may look better than the previously discussed 110 percent, but the new study provides consistent numbers.
Maximum occupancy, which is different than maximum capacity, is defined and recommended by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) based on specific classroom sizes, but many classrooms at OCHS do not meet those recommended sizes. Actually, a number of them don't meet the state's occupancy code of 20 square feet per person.
Ten classrooms at the school are used for English classes. According to VDOE, English, math, social studies and foreign language classrooms should be a minimum of 700 sq. ft. However, English classroom sizes at OCHS range from 487 to 1,003 sq. ft. with only two of the spaces meeting the minimum 700 sq. ft. size. Five English classes actually exceed the occupancy code with more students than recommended for the space provided. "Only two meet the recommended minimum size and five are so bad they violate the law," Grimesey said. "This problem is critical now. It is not something that can wait."
But it's not only English classes that have the problem. Sizes of the nine classrooms used for math actually vary from 625 to 999 sq. ft. with only three meeting the minimum size recommendation. Nine classrooms are also used for social studies and their sizes vary from 615 to 886 sq. ft. with four meeting the minimum size recommendation. Of the five classrooms used for foreign language, sizes vary from 636 to 714 sq. ft. with three meeting the minimum size.
But, the worst problem may be in the science classes. Classrooms used for earth science and biology, are recommended to be at a minimum 1,000 sq. ft. Of the six classrooms used for these classes, only two meet the minimum requirement with sizes ranging from 444 to 1,031 sq. ft. The smallest Biology I class is 22 students in a 1,031 sq. ft. room and the largest is 28 students in a 524 sq. ft. room.
"The National Science Teachers Association recommends 60 sq. ft. of space per student and the [VDOE] recommends 56 sq. ft.," Orange County High School Principal Doug Duncan said.
Science classes used for chemistry and physics are recommended to be at least 1,500 sq. ft. Of the two used for these classes at the high school, neither meet the requirement with sizes varying from 644 sq. ft. to 1,031 sq. ft.
Duncan said with the science classrooms, he tries to take the larger rooms and spread them across the classes, so they aren't just used for one science type. He said this provides some access to a larger lab for all classes, but it doesn't always work. He said invariably, all the classes will at some point need a lab space at the same time.
According to Duncan, small classes don't necessarily begin that way. Each semester, there is an add/drop period in which students can change their schedules, choosing to pick up certain needed classes and drop out of others.
"If a student failed the prerequisite for the next course, they have to come out of that course," Duncan said. "If that class is a graduation requirement, they'll need to repeat it. With all of the moving around, we try to balance it so needs are met. [A large class] is never intentional. We start out trying to maintain a [certain] size, but can't."
Duncan said some of the worst scenarios at the high school include a 533 sq. ft. room with 32 students in it during one block and 29 in another. There's also a 524 sq. ft. room with 28 students in it during one block and a 599 sq. ft. room with 31 students in it during one block. Meanwhile, some classrooms sit empty simply because they're two small to house any students.
"Because of [the previous renovation], we have rooms we can't use," he said. "They're designed for 12-15 students and we don't have classes that small. Sometimes they can be used for special education."
Duncan said some classes can close, because they are too full. He said career and technical education courses are constrained by code and usually limit a class to 20-25 students. English classes have less than 24 students.
"We look at teacher load and stay well within those constraints," he said.
The overcrowding problem has also been compounded by new state mandates and budget cuts. Beginning this year, all freshman have to take an economics and personal finance course. Duncan said the class replaced a similar elective and is being phased in. Also, in losing teaching positions, there are now only 10 science teachers, and all students need specific science classes to graduate.
"Every time we lose a position that's a 150-180 seats that we lose for students," he said. "Teachers teach approximately six classes a year, which have approximately 25 students in them. If we lose two teachers, that's 300 seats gone. Those students have to squeeze into other places."
And squeezing is what the students are doing. BJUA determined that 66 percent of core classrooms at the high school do not meet the recommended sizes of the VDOE. They said the current school population is not being served by the existing building in a manner that promotes learning and supports the educational program. The report said at least nine classes are being held with occupancy loads exceeding code because of small spaces with a high number of students. The report concluded "it should be clear that the current facilities cannot meet the needs of the community and the educational program without a major commitment for improvement. The situation will only get worse as the projected population increases and adds to the deficiencies."
Orange County Public Schools Coordinator of Facilities and Maintenance Doug Arnold said the occupancy code issue is being fixed now.
Duncan said in those cases, the rooms are only 2-3 students over the limit. He said where possible, students have been moved around and he's looking at alternative spaces to hold classes, including the auditorium, cafeteria and library. These larger areas allow for a larger capacity. Duncan said schedules are also being changed for next semester to move students out of certain sections of classes.
 "We've already made changes to what we can immediately," he said. "We will ask for a temporary variance [from the code] for the remainder of the semester and we are working to correct the problem for next semester."
But in no way do these temporary solutions fix the problem at large. Currently, the high school is offering 275 classes this semester. Of these, 129 exceed VDOE guidelines for space per student with 30 of those in the sciences.
"We're worried about science most because that's where we see the greatest problem," Arnold said.
He said it may be possible to improve science lab space availability through the use of double-sized modular units. However, that would only temporarily fix one issue. With the increased student population and demand for electives to meet graduation requirements, class spaces will need to accommodate 30 or more students in many classes by 2013-14.
"Clearly, we're not designed to accommodate that," Arnold said.
Several yearbook students spoke to the board about the problem before making their video presentation which contained pictures highlighting the overcrowding.
"Last year, in an AP American Studies class of 52 students, I was nervous asking questions and approaching students," senior Mariah Dermody said. "Now, I'm still in a class over 30, but I feel [better] about it."
Dermody said because of space her class last year started in the auditorium before moving to a two-classroom setup divided by a movable partition wall. Junior Erin Krieter is in that class now.
"There are 55 students in there," she said. "There are two teachers and the kids in the back can't see. It's hard to learn."
District 5 board member Jim Hopkins questioned the class setup, asking why a class would be held with more than 50 students in the first place. He wondered why the two teachers couldn't split the class in half.
"AP American Studies is a blend of English and history," Duncan explained. "You have to have two teachers, each an expert in their own field and you have to have the number of students to justify two teachers' course loads."
"If you had a dual-endorsed teacher, you could get away with only one," Grimesey added.
"In college, you have larger classes, but you also have more personal space," District 2 board member Donna Waugh-Robinson observed.
District 1 board member Lou Thompson, who also teaches community college courses, pointed out that Germanna's maximum class size is 24 students.
But it's not just class sizes that are contributing to the overcrowding problem. Duncan said the hallway and stairwell design creates higher congestion and choke points for student traffic.
"There's bottlenecking with class changes," he said. "If you're going from the bottom to the top of the building, there are only two stairwells you can take all the way, both off the main hall with one near a bathroom. We're approaching the time when we'll need one [stairwell] to be up and one down to maintain safety."
Board members agreed to proceed with a second phase of the BJUA study which will look at options, specific recommendations and cost estimates to improve the facilities in both an immediate and long-term time frame. This phase of the study will cost $13,800 and will be funded by deferring a capital improvement plan project that isn't related to safety. The first phase of the study cost $9,800.
"To me there's no question, we have to do it," District 3 board member Judy Carter said.
Possible short-term solutions to the problem include modular units and renovations. Previously, the school board evaluated a long-term fix which consisted of constructing a new career and technology education center near the existing high school. This would fix the overcrowding problem while also expanding the county's career and technical offerings. That plan has been included in the five-year CIP, which is reevaluated every two years. But it's projected to cost approximately $15.3 million to construct and is not guaranteed to be funded.
If the school board opts for renovating the high school, it won't be the first time OCHS has undergone a change. According to Duncan, the school has been renovated or expanded three times since constructed in 1952 to combine students from the Orange and Unionville High Schools, and the Barboursville and Gordonsville junior high schools. In 1967, new classrooms, science areas, a cafeteria and a library were added. Then in 1995, the Hornet Sports Center Field House was completed and in 2003, the school completed a multi-million dollar, multi-phased renovation, that included a cafeteria, library and renovated classrooms along with other improvements for student use and safety while adding new larger classrooms contained in a new wing of the school.