Increased enrollment at Sippican School has lead the Marion School Committee to seek two new teachers less than a month before school begins.

Several new housing units going on line at Marion Village Estates are believed to have contributed to enrollment increases at the elementary school, with particular concern for the kindergarten and third grade. While all grades have experienced a rise in numbers, those two now have larger than recommended class sizes.

At the kindergarten level, enrollment has gone from 53 to 58 students, bringing the average size of the grade’s three classes to 20.

Eighteen is the maximum number recommended for that age group, said Principal Lyn Rivet.

“Already being at the nineteen to twenty level, it’s too much. It’s too big a risk to keep our fingers crossed and hope nobody else comes in,” said Chair Christine Marcolini.

Vice Chair Kate Houdelette said hiring an additional teacher was “inevitable.”

With about two percent left over in the budget each year, or approximately $119,000 in fiscal year 2015, Business Manager Patrick Spencer said spending has been conservative.

“It’s not like we drain every line every year,” he said.

As such, Spencer was able to find $64,000 to cover staffing needs in the current budget. The cost for a new kindergarten teacher to be hired for one year is $52,600. The rest of the funds would go towards a one on one paraprofessional teacher for a child with special needs.

Spencer said the committee could reallocate funds from several line items, including $5,000 from the gas expenses and $25,000 from building maintenance.

Rivet said she didn’t expect it to be difficult to find an additional teacher on short notice as she has already filled around six positions this summer, many receiving 100 applications.

“At this point and time you get people who didn’t get positions who are pretty strong,” she said.

The committee voted to approve the kindergarten teacher and followed with a discussion on the third grade. As enrollment now stands, that grade has 67 students, compared to the original 62. Consequently each class would have 22 or 23 students.

Superintendent Doug White said the same reappropriation of funds for the kindergarten could not be done without risking other budget items.

“The more you take, the less you’re going to have for stuff we’ll try to do down the line,” said White.

The alternative is to go back to the town and ask for more money to pay for a teacher for a single year.

“We didn’t know enrollment. We didn’t push for a big number,” said Spencer. “We cooperated with them. We did make a statement in all budget meetings that if we have a change we’re going to come back.”

Marcolini said the committee’s budgets have been “very conservative and very respectful” over the years, and was in favor of asking the Finance Committee for an increase to cover an additional teacher.

White said he had already discussed the matter with Town Administrator Paul Dawson, and told him such a discussion may be on the horizon.

If the Finance Committee does approve the additional funds, the town would have to vote on it at the Fall Town Meeting.

The committee voted to discuss the matter with the town and approved the posting for an anticipated opening to fill the position.