News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
There are more children in Sisters schools this year than last year, but school officials aren't sure the boost will help the school district's strapped budget.
There are 1,144 students in Sisters schools either full or part time. State funding is based on a weighted calculation of that population called "average daily membership."
As of Tuesday, September 8, Sisters' ADM was 1,065. The school district based its budget on 1,055 ADM.
"We're running about 10 above our projection at this second, but keep in mind, last year in the month of September we lost... 18 students," schools superintendent Steve Swisher told The Nugget.
"We're right at the edge and until the end of September I'm not really ready to breathe too deeply," he said.
Last year, ADM dropped by 19 from 1,059 in September to 1,040 by the end of October, plunging the district into a revenue crisis before ADM bounced back to 1,060 at the end of the year.
Sisters Middle School took a big jump in enrollment this year, putting 20 new students in classrooms and bringing the student body to 270.
According to Swisher, some staff shuffling will be needed to accommodate the students; a second choir class will have to be added and a teacher found to cover it.
Given the schools' tight budget, there is no question about hiring new staff to cover the population jump, according to Swisher.
"We don't have any room for hiring new full staff people or even half-time ones," Swisher said.
The elementary school has 431 students; the high school has a total of 418, including 15 Flex school students.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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