GREENFIELD — Amid a spike in kindergarten enrollment at the city’s three elementary schools, Superintendent of Schools Karin Patenaude said the district has hired three additional kindergarten teachers.

Patenaude said Wednesday that there were 110 kindergarten students enrolled in Greenfield Public Schools, a number that she said was “ever-changing” as the district received 23 new registrations between Monday and Wednesday. She said the district has already brought on three new teachers, bringing the kindergarten staff to nine, and will attempt to increase that number. She noted that with the district’s current staffing and enrollment levels, Greenfield’s largest kindergarten class will have about 16 to 17 students.

“We have been watching kindergarten class sizes in all of our elementary schools for the past few weeks, and we are seeing an influx in enrollment over the past few days alone and anticipate continued enrollment in the coming days,” Patenaude wrote in an email to parents Thursday. “This is exciting news to share — growth in our school district is a good thing for the schools and the city.”

The announcement came less than 24 hours after City Councilor At-Large Michael Terounzo expressed concern with kindergarten class sizes. Terounzo said he was “disturbed” to learn of a 26-student class at Four Corners Elementary School while questioning Patenaude at Wednesday night’s council meeting, and concerned that the district’s youngest students may not receive quality education with such large classes.

Terounzo expressed frustration with the large class sizes, despite the council voting to approve the School Department’s approximately 4% budget increase in May.

“This, to me, is absolutely ridiculous,” Terounzo said before Patenaude and the council. “I just question where that logic would come into that decision that there’s going to be a solid education given to incoming kindergartners with one teacher to try to deal with not only the behavioral issues, but educational issues for some of the most vulnerable students coming into it.”

In Patenaude’s email, which was sent about a week before the first day of kindergarten, scheduled for Aug. 30, she wrote that the district will “reorganize” classrooms at every school in an effort to mitigate class sizes. She wrote that each hire will be “budget-neutral,” and that elementary principals will work to reassign students across kindergarten classes.

“We have a district priority on literacy this year at all grade levels, and it is especially important at the earliest stages of education that we keep our class sizes small so that our youngest students start their reading and writing road in learning environments that set the stage for success in the future,” Patenaude wrote. 

In an interview Tuesday, Terounzo thanked the superintendent for the speed and attention with which she addressed his concerns. Terounzo went on to explain that since kindergarten students are more likely than their peers in higher grade levels to be enrolled later in the summer, the enrollment influx should be budgeted for in future seasons.

“I think my concern has been addressed, and I’m very glad to hear that that was taken seriously and looked at immediately. I thank the superintendent for doing that,” Terounzo said. “This is the right choice to make, and this is a big improvement for the education of the kindergartners.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.