An effort to overhaul the state’s constitutional limit on class sizes passed its first legislative hurdle Tuesday , with a Senate panel approving the measure over the objections of a teachers’ union and the committee’s lone Democrat.

The Senate Education PreK-12 Committee voted 6-1 to approve the proposed constitutional amendment, which would scale back the class-size rules approved by voters in 2002.

Republicans, who have led the push to freeze the initiative, say the state is already pouring more than $2.8 billion a year into meeting the standards and that class sizes have already dropped substantially since the original class-size amendment was approved.

Under the current amendment, classes in the coming school year could be no larger than 18 students through third grade; classes in grades 4-8 would be limited to 22 students; and high school classes couldn’t have more than 25 students.

The proposal by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, would allow schools to use the average class size to meet the standard as long as the school added no more than three students to each class through third grade and five students to each class in grades 4-12. Supporters say it would give school districts flexibility and help the state make ends meet in a difficult budget year.

If three-fifths of the membership of both the House and Senate approve the measure, it would go to the November ballot, where it would have to get the support of 60 percent of the voters. More