Numbers are high for prospective kindergarteners in Wiscasset, so high that Wiscasset Primary School’s teaching staff may grow.

The count stands at 45 kindergarten students for the next school year; there were 27 in the school year that just ended, said Mona Schlein, current assistant principal and incoming principal.

“So this is a huge jump, which is exciting to see so many families moving in,” Schlein told the Wiscasset School Committee on June 26. In an interview later, Schlein attributed the surge to word spreading about the positive direction the school has been going in.

If the count for the next school year holds or continues to build, which Schlein described as very possible, at least one of the two kindergarten teachers’ class sizes would exceed the policy limit of 21, Chairman-elect Steve Smith said.

The superintendent of schools isn’t bound by that limit, said outgoing superintendent Wayne Dorr. He doesn’t like a kindergarten class to have more than 16 or 17 students. Dorr advised the panel it could wait and see how the count evolves; advertise for an anticipated teacher’s job; or consider adding an educational technician to assist teachers.

The committee agreed to advertise for a teacher; it may be for a first grade position, since a first grade teacher has expressed an interest in moving to kindergarten, Dorr said.

Committee member Michael Dunn expressed concern about the possibility of adding a teacher and then having the student count drop by the start of the school year.

“We could wind up with 35 kids and an extra teacher,” Dunn said.

“We’re rolling the dice,” Smith said.

Advertising doesn’t bind the town to create the job; by the time the hire would have to be made, there could be a much clearer picture of what the count will be, Dorr said.

Worthwhile, but time-consuming work

Changes in teacher evaluation work and other areas have upped their demands on principals’ time. Departing Wiscasset High School Principal Deb Taylor, retiring Wiscasset Middle School Principal Linda Bleile, and Dorr shared that message with the School Committee at Thursday’s meeting.

Bleile said due to changes in state law, she went from having time to visit with students on the playground and in the cafeteria, to only being able to meet them at the start and end of the day. The added workload for evaluations, combined with more forms to fill out for special education, suicide prevention, bullying and cyber bullying, cut her time with students, she said.

Taylor had gotten quicker at the new evaluation work the more she did it, but she said the time it takes raises the question of whether it can be sustained.

Dorr has said he wanted the committee to know about the added demands on principals as the panel looks at school consolidation and future budgets.