The Juneau School District has fewer students this year than the enrollment decrease it previously projected.
The district has 94 fewer students than anticipated, according to district data. Out of all grade levels, kindergarten saw the largest drop in enrollment. Superintendent Shawn Arnold presented the numbers to the Juneau School Board on Tuesday. He said the district is looking into why the number of students is lower.
“We’re going to be working with a demographer to try to find projections for this upcoming year as best as possible to kind of help inform some decisions,” Arnold said.
He said the district estimates the state will give about $3.37 million less than budgeted. But the district is also slated to receive more than $4 million in energy and one-time funding. That means the district will still receive more than $730,000 than budgeted.
But the lower student enrollment does more than impact funding. Staffing levels at schools are also tied to the number of students. Fewer students means some schools may have fewer teachers than previously approved; some of those positions are currently unfilled.
School Board Vice President Elizabeth Siddon suggested moving certain positions to those that are still unfilled.
“We still have vacancies in district, elementary district-wide programs that these staff could support, which would support all six elementary schools in the district,” she said.
The district currently has several unfilled district-wide positions for its Talent Enrichment and Development Program.
The enrollment numbers Arnold presented are not the ones that will determine state funding. That information is collected in October over a four-week period. The board is expected to revise the district’s budget to account for enrollment and additional funding at its November meeting.
