The Pella School Board approved a class size policy for elementary students at their meeting this week.

Superintendent Greg Ebeling says they already base the number of sections offered on enrollment, but after last year’s budget reduction process, the board wanted to give administrators additional direction.

“We want to keep the lower elementary the smallest,” Ebeling says. “Lower elementary will vary from about 18 to the 20, 22 range, then when you get to mid-elementary range, you go from 22 to 24, and then you get more upper elementary, you are more in that 24 to 26 range.”

Ebeling says the board is stressing a more predictable policy.

“We always look at families, we want to make sure families stay together so if they’re one in building, we’d like them to stay in one building,” he adds. “So there’s some of those things that really make it a little bit of a challenge.”