Closing a school not an option, for now

Reports of declining enrollment in the Stanwood-Camano School District have the rumor mills spinning.

February’s tally was 196 students less than last year’s count for the month.

At the community budget meeting last Monday, Superintendent Jean Shumate, ED.D., addressed some of the hearsay.

“There have been lots of rumors about closing an elementary school,” she said. “At this point, we are not looking at closing a school.”

Currently, the option does not fit into the district’s plans.

“There is really no way we could close an elementary school because we would have two schools at maximum capacity when it comes to classroom space, with no room to grow,” said Shumate.

In the future, if enrollment trends continue to slide, and the district can absorb students and teachers into another facility, the decision may be re-considered, said Shumate.

“Right now, they are rumors,” she said. “We don’t plan on closing a school, next year.”

The district reported 4,878 students at the start of this school year. A slight increase in October has been followed by steady drops, with a lowpoint of 4,824 students in February.

The projection for next school year is 4,712.

The school district monitors birth rates from Snohomish and Island counties to predict how many students will enter kindergarten. Data has shown that approximately 7.4 percent of births enter the school district five years later. Projected enrollment for kindergarten next school year is 154 full-time students. In addition, historical enrollment data from each grade level is analyzed to set projections.

According to Gary Platt, executive director of business services, each student brings in approximately $5,000 in funding for the district. Enrollment of 153 fewer students to start the 2010-11 school year will set the district back nearly $765,000.

More rumors have stemmed from budget discussions at the state level.

Recently, Governor Chris Gregoire proposed delaying the monthly apportionment payment to school districts on June 30 to July 1.

“The one-day delay is significant because our payroll is due on June 30,” said Platt. “It’s been an issue across the state, because a lot of districts are not in the position to manage that in terms of cash flow. That’s something we do have adequate cash resources to take care of, so it’s not going to be an issue for our district. We’ll be able to make our payroll commitments.”

The Stanwood-Camano School District will host a second community budget presentation at Utsalady Elementary on March 15 at 6:30 p.m. to provide information about proposed reductions and allow audience members to ask questions. After the meeting, visitors can fill out a hard copy of the budget task force survey. The survey is also available online at the district’s Web site, www.stanwood.wednet. edu. Hard copies of the survey can be delivered or mailed to the district office, 2692 Pioneer Highway, or dropped off at any school location within the district. The survey will close March 19 at 4:30 p.m. The district requests that only one survey from each household be completed on a home computer. Subsequent surveys can be completed via hard copy, or through the online service on a different computer. A podcast replay of the March 1 community meeting is also available on the district Web site.

Staff Reporter Adam Stewart: 629-8066 ext. 115 or astewart@scnews.com.