Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
Enrollment numbers for Sweet Home School District No. 55 are down from last year, officials said Monday.
The total students enrolled in the district, as of Monday evening, was 2,270, not counting the 126 children reported enrolled in Sweet Home Charter School. Last year’s total at the beginning of the school year was 2,320.
“We’re down 50 students from last year if we don’t count the charter school,” said Superintendent Larry Horton.
Specific numbers for the various schools, as of Monday, were: Crawfordsville 88; Foster 291; Hawthorne 327; Holley 102; Oak Heights 309; Sweet Home Junior High 358 and Sweet Home High School 795.
High school Principal Pat Stineff told the school board Monday night that the high school was expecting some new enrollees on Tuesday.
“This is the second year in a row that we have seen a significant decrease in enrollment,” Horton said. “We have concerns, to some degree.”
According to Kevin Strong, district business manager, the impact of the charter school on the district is far greater this year than last.
“Including the charter school, district-wide enrollment remains stable from last year to this year,” he said. “However, the charter school’s enrollment continues to grow, which is taking a larger slice of our overall budget. ”
The district will pay the charter school more than $550,000 this school year as compared to $301,423 last year, Strong said.
The district expects to receive $5,819 per student from the state this year, which means that the loss of 50 students will cost approximately $290,950.
To prevent districts from immediately feeling the financial bite from enrollment declines, state funding is based on the enrollment numbers from either the previous year or the current year, whichever is higher.
So unless the district enrollment shoots up this year to levels higher than 2006-07, last year’s enrollment figures will be the basis for funding this year, Strong said.
He said the district plans to use savings from last year, interest earnings and increased per-student state funding to maintain its staff levels this school year.
“The good news is by doing so, our ratio of students to staff members has improved,” he said.
Horton noted that this is the second year in a row that the district has seen a “significant” decrease in enrollment.
He said he’s concerned “in some degree,” suggesting that the slowdown in local real estate sales may be partly to blame for the changes in the student population.
“Apparently, all these new homes being built are not being purchased by people with students,” he said. “Our hope is that that turns around in the very near futures and that more families find their way to Sweet Home.”