FARMINGTON — RSU 9 school directors voted Tuesday to add another kindergarten teacher at the Mallett School in Farmington due to an unexpected increase in students.

There are 105 students registered to attend the Mallett School as of Tuesday, Principal Tracy Williams said.

When the board agenda was printed there were two classrooms pushing 22 students and three educational technicians were needed, Superintendent Tom Ward said.

Now there is a need for four educational technicians to adhere to the board’s class size guidelines of 18 students to one teacher at the kindergarten level, Williams told the board.

Ward recommended hiring a teacher instead of hiring four educational technicians.

It is a good problem that the district is growing, he said, but a difficult one to deal with budgetwise.

They don’t know where another classroom is going to be located, he said.

The state requires kindergarten and first-grade classes to be on the first floor unless there is a designated staircase for those students, he said.

He is checking to see if they would need two designated staircases.

There currently are five kindergarten teachers. Even with an additional teacher, classroom sizes would be running 17 to 18 students, Williams said.

The Mallett School, which is only a couple of years old, was built with designated staircases in case the student population grew, she said. Each grade does have its own staircase, she said.

Director Iris Silverstein said she supported having another kindergarten teacher to provide a more effective education to students.

Director James Black of Wilton agreed. Small classes are more beneficial to students, he said.

Ward told the board that three educational technicians would equal the cost of one teacher with benefits.

“We may have to come back to ask for an ed tech if class numbers keep going up” past 18 students, he said.

Board Chairman Mark Prentiss of Industry said that it is a good thing that the district is growing because it will make a difference in the budget next year.

The district receives money from the state based on a number of factors, including number of students.

In other business, the board approved Ward’s nomination of Anthony Feldpaucsch to fill a social studies teaching vacancy at Mt. Blue Campus. He previously was a teacher at Carrabec High School in North Anson.

dperry@sunjournal.com