Classroom Crunch in Latta

For one Pee Dee school district the issue of overcrowding a growing issue.

Both the Latta Early Childhood Center and the Latta Elementary School share the same campus and they're at maximum capacity.

It's not necessarily because the town itself is growing it's the number of families wanting to send their children to school in this district.

Over the past eight years Krista Byrd said she's seen a lot of changes at the Latta Early Childhood Center.

"I have noticed the classes getting larger and larger. A number of people are moving to Latta simply for our schools, and we have no where to put them," said Krista Byrd, parent and teacher at the Latta Early Childhood Center.

In a facility originally built for five-hundred they've managed to squeeze in eight-hundred students.

"Packed like a can of sardines so to speak. We are at the max," said Dana Wiggins, teacher at the Latta Early Childhood Center.

The Latta School District has been forced to put teachers and students anywhere they can find four walls.

"Kids are in locker room bathrooms, kids are in closets for small group instruction, teachers are working out of renovated boiler rooms," said Byrd.

In fact Byrd has even been sharing a classroom with teacher Dana Wiggins.

"I love the teacher I work with, I'm just not very happy that we're not allowed to have our own classrooms due to lack of space," said Wiggins.

"It has worked out well for us, however I would love ideally to have my own classroom, and my own children," said Byrd.

Byrd's own child attends the Latta Early Childhood Center and rather than being in a class of eighteen like most centers, he's one of twenty-six.

"I would love to see him in a room with more personalized attention and a teacher simply cannot give that kind of attention when the classrooms are so large," said Byrd.

But, despite classrooms packed with more kids students like Byrd's continue to perform at a high level.

"He is achieving wonderfully, we're doing great things for our four year-olds, our five year-olds are going to first grade ready to roll. Despite the difficulties we are making great strides here," said Byrd.

Despite the lack of space in a facility that's been around since the 1950's families continue to try to fit their children in.

"We'd love to get more people in and love to have them, but we just need more space," said Wiggins.

School officials said eighty parents the waiting list for the Latta Early Childhood Center.

"Who would have thought in Latta we would be able to put together the kind of program that we have, but we are doing it. People want it and want their children in our schools, and they're moving to Latta to get it. As long as they're living in Latta we've got to provide a place for them," said Byrd.

In the meantime school officials are doing the best the can; with the facility they've been dealt with hoping eventually to have the space they and their children need.