Schools see uptick in enrollment

Sisters schools have a few more students this winter, which is a big help in the face of declining state revenues.

In his regular update, Superintendent Jim Golden hailed the news.

"We have seen a slight increase in our student enrollment this year which is generally good news because schools receive funding based on our enrollment," he reported. "We currently have 1,295 students attending our schools which, when adjusted for kindergarten students who only count 1/2, gives us a district-wide enrollment of 1,263 students."

Sisters School District based its 2010-11 budget on estimated per-student state funding of $6,449 (weighted average daily membership or ADM).

While the schools will gain more per-student funding due to enrollment increases, budget challenges remain significant in trying to provide appropriate education for those students.

"This is one of our larger enrollments ever in terms of our K-12 district student body," Golden noted. "We also have seen our largest increase in special education students in the history of our district and an increase in students who are English Language Learners. What this will mean is we will face further challenges for us to maintain our high quality of education given declining revenue."