News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
There are more students in Sisters classrooms as students start school this fall.
As of Friday, August 26, total enrollment in the Sisters School District is up 7.87 percent from last June, according to figures supplied by the district offices. There are 1,370 students enrolled in the district this fall (excluding alternative school). That’s up 100 students from June 2005.
At Sisters Elementary School, enrollment was expected to be 484 students (four more were listed as “pending paperwork”). That’s up 28 from last year.
The fifth grade is the biggest class, with 97 students enrolled. Second grade is not far behind with 93 (and one additional “pending paperwork.”
The entering class boasts 67 kindergartners with two additional students expected. There are 65 students in first grade; 78 in third grade and 84 in fourth grade (plus one “pending paperwork”).
Superintendent Ted Thonstad said the enrollment is generally outstripping projections. The elementary school was just two short of the high estimate of 490 and blew past the standard “base forecast” projection of 457 by 31 students.
“(Enrollment) exceeds the ‘high side’ forecast at the middle school,” Thonstad said.
That high side forecast was 315; the “base” forecast used for budgeting purposes was 305.
Middle school enrollment stood at 329 on Friday with two more expected to register, up 26 (or 28) from last year’s end-of-school totals.
The sixth grade has 116 enrolled with two more expected; there are 95 seventh graders and 118 eighth graders.
The only school that missed the base forecast (567 students) was Sisters High School.
Sisters High School went from an enrollment of 507 in June (with 77 more at the district’s alternative school) to 557, a growth of 50 students, but still short of projections by 10.
Enrollment is critical for schools in Oregon because the state funding formula is based on “Average Daily Membership,” (ADM) a weighted formula that provides school funding on a per-student basis.
This year Sisters starts the year receiving $5,198 per ADM in state school support (not including transportation). Last year’s ADM at year’s close was $4,794.
The extra money reflects the $5.24 state budget for education for 2005-06.
According to Thonstad, the $5,198 figure is likely to be adjusted downward slightly as the state continues to monitor enrollment across the state.
The brisk growth and additional funding doesn’t mean the Sisters School District is rolling in cash — at least not yet.
“The thing to remember,” Thonstad said, “is that we don’t get the dollars for that growth until May (due to the intricacies of the funding process). So the budget is very tight right now.”
However, continued growth and a larger state appropriation for schools has enabled the schools to restore five cut days this year.
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.
Reader Comments(0)