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Highlands Today

School Enrollment Declines

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By MARC VALERO

Highlands Today

Published: September 4, 2008

SEBRING - After years of Highlands County schools seeing more students each August, enrollment is down this year, which means the district is bracing for less state funding.

Comparing the 10th-day enrollment numbers of 2007 and 2008 shows an enrollment decrease of 1.5 percent (190 students) from 12,309 to 12,119. Due to Tropical Storm Fay affecting attendance on the first day of school and schools being closed one day, Highlands Today used the 10th-day data for this year's comparison.

"It is down from last year; it doesn't look good," Assistant Superintendent of Business/Finance Mike Averyt said Wednesday.

With the district receiving $3,971 per student from the state, fewer students means less money.

The district will know more about how much state money it will receive, and if it will be less than last year, after the Oct. 6 - 10 enrollment survey week.

"We will see what happens in October; I can't make a guess on funding until we actually get to the survey," Averyt said.

The school board is scheduled to vote on final approval of the 2008-09 budget at 5:05 p.m., Tuesday.

Will the lower enrollment affect the new budget?

"It will just be another issue that we have to handle this year," Averyt said.

Along with the possible decrease in enrollment, "we have the looming shortfall in revenue that they Legislature are projecting to hand out probably in December or January," he added.

Comparing first day counts of 2006 and 2007 showed an enrollment increase of 1.9 percent on the first day of school last year.

But, on the last day of the 2007-08 school year, enrollment was down slightly compared to the last day of the 2006-07 school year. The 2007-08 school year ended 10 days later than the previous school year, which was likely a factor in the lower last day enrollment on June 4, 2008, but the data indicated that the growth trend was coming to an end.

Most attendance counts from the 2000-01 school year showed a lower enrollment than the previous year. Aside from that one year, school enrollment had been increasing each year for at least 15 years.

The school district couldn't build enough classroom additions to keep up with the growth so portable classrooms became commonplace at most schools to handle the overflow.

It appears the district will have a chance to catch up somewhat with Memorial Elementary, which opened this year; classroom additions opening in December at Sebring High and Hill-Gustat Middle; and classroom additions slated to open in August 2009 at the middle and high schools in Avon Park.

FAST FACTS

On the last day of the 2007-08 school year, enrollment was down slightly compared to the last day of the 2006-07 school year. The 2007-08 school year ended 10 days later than the previous school year, which was likely a factor in the lower last day enrollment on June 4, 2008, but the data indicated that the growth trend was coming to an end.

Marc Valero can be reached at 386-5826 or mvalero@highlandstoday.com

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