By Tony Marrero, Times Staff Writer
Friday, September 3, 2010
BROOKSVILLE — It was a number big enough to make even veteran Hernando school officials a little uneasy.
The district typically starts the first day of school with fewer students than projected, and the numbers always creep up during the first two weeks. But at the end of the first day of school Aug. 23, the total enrollment was a whopping 1,447 students shy of the 22,543 expected — nearly enough to fill the new Weeki Wachee High.
That was a lot of ground to make up, and the stakes are always high because the district loses state dollars for each missing student. By the second day, though, the deficit dropped by about half.
By Friday, it was 84.
That's manageable, superintendent Bryan Blavatt said. The district at this point is slated to get $4,280.40 per student from the state, so 84 students would could cost the district about $359,500.
The 2010-11 budget includes $2.5 million set aside for just such a shortage and for mid-year cuts to state funding, said Desiree Henegar, the school district's chief financial officer.
Just as important, though, is the distribution of the total enrollment across schools. That is especially true this year as the district scrambles to meet stricter core class-size requirements that take effect next month.
The School Board earlier this year approved a staffing plan that would not in itself allow the district to meet the requirements, and the budget includes about $4 million for additional positions with hopes that would be enough to cover the cost. Blavatt directed principals to do what they could under the current plan to minimize the number of extra teachers needed.
Administrators appear to be coming through, he said.
Blavatt had not seen the most recent update Friday afternoon, but said the evidence is encouraging — so much so it's likely the district will be able to save some of that $4 million.
"We've been able to deal with the numbers fairly well," he said.
Principals are using several strategies. Some elementary teachers are switching to another grade level. Small classes are being merged and some students are shifting to different classrooms. There will be more double classrooms with two teachers. And Blavatt said some teachers might have to change schools.
Ten of Hernando's 23 schools came in above their enrollment projections. Of those, Central High, west of Brooksville, had the largest deviation at 138 students; Floyd K-8 in Spring Hill saw 100 more than expected.
Floyd principal Ray Pinder said that hasn't created a problem. By this week, the school met the mandates of 18 students per class at the elementary level and 22 in middle school.
The limit for high school classes is 25 students. Central was expected to meet that by the end of Friday or early next week, principal Joe Clifford said.
Clifford said he attacked the challenge assuming he would not be getting any more teachers, merging courses such as advanced placement chemistry and honors chemistry.
"You have to figure out how to make it work," he said. "I don't anticipate additional staff. If I get one I'll be happy, but you don't count your chickens before they hatch."
District figures for Brooksville Elementary showed 49 more students than projected, but principal Mary LeDoux said it's likely a higher number than that. The school struggled the first two weeks with larger-than-expected enrollments in kindergarten and third and fifth grades.
On Friday, LeDoux got the call she was hoping for: The school can hire two more kindergarten teachers and two long-term substitutes, one each for third and fifth grades.
"I'm getting more hands on deck and I'm excited about that," LeDoux said.
Springstead High School principal Susan Duval said it's likely her school would be within the limits without adding staffers. Duval, so far, hasn't had to merge classes, able instead to shift students to other courses.
With the opening of Weeki Wachee High, Springstead and Central have more breathing room this year. Springstead enrollment came in at 1,906, or 98 students fewer than expected and about 300 fewer than last year. Central has 1,584, or about 200 fewer than last year.
District officials should know by the end of next week how many teachers will need to be hired to meet the class-size requirements, said Heather Martin, executive director of business services.
"We will then continue to monitor, since we have to be in compliance at all times, not just the start of the year," Martin said.
Tony Marrero can be reached at (352) 848-1431 or tmarrero@sptimes.com.