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Friday Board Bulletin 8/24/18


Posted Date: 08/24/2018

Board Members:

What an outstanding week it has been! It seems like eons ago we had our last meeting, and in reality it was just Monday! We need to give a big shout out to the entire faculty and staff for all they did to get ready for yesterday's opening! Our teachers were so helpful and flexible this week it has been phenomenal! I can't say enough about the maintenance staff who stayed late on Wednesday evening to finish up a few last minute items, and our clerical staff has been burning the candle at both ends answering the multitude of questions that come through our office each day! Then of course is the hot lunch program, which knocked it out of the park yesterday. We had so many very nice compliments about lunch, and the number of kids eating was definitely up!

Tuesday evening I attended the Planning and Zoning meeting with the city, where the primary item for consideration was the vacation of Washington Street. As expected, this is not going to be an easy decision for the city. At this time the committee is reluctant to move forward based on the 'What if' scenarios on which our enrollment projections are based. They also believe we may be a bit premature in our request. While I appreciate their argument, I did share that it is common for school districts to secure building sites well in advance of actually moving forward with a major construction project. Ultimately they tabled a decision on this pending more information. I'll circle back with the mayor at some point to continue the conversation. So then, about that enrollment.

Our first day enrollment is up 26 over last year, and is the highest first day count we have had since I started tracking it in 2012. While the chart below has a column for preschool, these enrollments are not included in the total column to the right. Now, keep in mind these are unofficial numbers and enrollment will continue to fluctuate until the official count is take on October 1st. However, while not an apples to apples comparison, this is the largest number of students served in the district since 2008, when we posted a BEDS count of 749.

First Day Enrollment Table (unofficial numbers)


Increasing enrollment is a great thing for our school district! But it does come with its own unique set of challenges. As our enrollment rises, we will need to adjust staffing accordingly. The next couple of weeks will be important as classes begin to stabilize and we determine if additional staff may be necessary. We have already determined it is probably necessary to make some busing adjustments for our afternoon routes. 

Have an awesome weekend!

Dr. Tony Voss, Superintendent