LPOSD enrollment sees increase

SANDPOINT — A year ago, Washington Elementary students attended music class in a new portable classroom.

This year, class is taking place in the school’s gymnasium.

After four years of declining enrollment, Lake Pend Oreille School District officials began the 2010-’11 school year with a new challenge — an unanticipated increase of 75 students, said Superintendent Dick Cvitanich.

“We were really surprised by the increase,” he said. “We’re happy to see the increased enrollment.”

LPOSD trustees could have approved an emergency levy generating about $400,000 from district’s property levy, but chose not to do so.

He and the board believe “the school district should live within a planned budget,” Cvitanich wrote in a press release.

Idaho Code allows school boards to levy additional money without going to the voters if such a situation occurs.

Prior to voters approving a supplemental levy about two years ago, officials told them what was needed to maintain its level of instruction, he said.

 “The community supported us. Despite the enrollment growth this year, we have planned and budgeted carefully. We have the resources set aside to provide for staff and instructional materials without raising taxes,” he said in the release.

The board and staff have worked to establish credibility in the community, added board chairman Vickie Pfeifer.

“They understand that when we share with them our needs we have thought very carefully in advance. We want that credibility to continue,” she said.

Staff begin working on the district’s budget months in advance to make sure it does not have a funding shortfall.

A major component of that planning is projecting student enrollment, which becomes critical when those numbers continue to decline — a problem that has occurred in the past. District officials “worked really hard” to track students because the Idaho Legislature bases its school funding formula on average daily attendance.

LPOSD has had to rely on protection status to maintain 90 percent of its budget for the past several years because enrollment declined more than was projected.

However, the worry has been that because of continuing declines in state revenue, the Legislature may not continue to fund the stopgap program that covers 90 percent of a district budget.

Planning a school district budget is a tricky proposition for officials.

They have to prepare and approve a budget before the school year begins — far in advance of knowing how many students will attend their schools. LPOSD ended the last school year on June 10 with 3,585 students and counted 3,672 students by Sept. 17, Cvitanich said.

The increase is attributed to several factors, including home school and private school students who have transitioned into the district.

“Perhaps we have bottomed out on the exodus caused by the economy,” he said.

LPOSD had to add a second morning kindergarten at Washington Elementary, bringing the number of that student population to three classes.

But adding that additional classroom meant moving music class to the gym from the portable, which was purchased with plant facility funds.

The newly built-out Kootenai Elementary also has noted an increase in students.

The school’s population increased more than predicted, even factoring in students who moved from Farmin-Stidwell to Kootenai this fall following completion of the building project.

Kootenai’s enrollment was projected to be 325 to 330 students; it has 343 enrolled. Sandpoint Middle School’s enrollment increased from 450 to 476 students. Both Northside and Hope elementary schools numbers have remained stable.

The only school with an enrollment decrease is Sagle, which is down 15 to 20 students.

Washington principal Dr. Sandy Maras also had to reconfigure and add one class each to the school’s fifth and six grades in mid-summer when LPOSD officials became aware of the population increase, Cvitanich said.

Although the enrollment increase is good news for the district, it also presents a planning challenge for the 2011-’12 budget, Cvitanich said.

The question is how will staff and trustees build a budget based upon this year’s enrollment numbers and the previous years’ history.

“For next year, I’m not exactly sure,” Cvitanich said.