LPOSD enrollment slightly under projections
<p>Washington Elementary third and fifth-graders enjoyed the first of many recesses at school Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by CAMERON RASMUSSON)</p>
SANDPOINT — As local students hit the books for another year of studies, Lake Pend Oreille School District officials area awaiting the tallies that will tell them just how many students are enrolled in the district.
LPOSD Superintendent Shawn Woodward said preliminary total show 3,545 students are enrolled in a district school this year, a number slightly under projections.
However, he said that total will almost certainly change in the next couple days as families finalize their arrangements and latecomers join the classroom.
“(Wednesday) might actually be a better day for a more accurate count,” Woodward said.
Woodward spent part of the day visiting district schools to ensure the first day of class was progressing without issues. He walked away more than satisfied with the results.
“Everything went really well,” he said.
“I was actually really impressed with how smooth and orderly everything happened.”
This school year will pose its own challenges for the district. For one thing, LPOSD classrooms will debut a new set of course standards this year. A set of federal standards adopted by Idaho, the guidelines will redefine subject content and progress goals for students.
“They’re definitely more rigorous than the standards previously used,” Woodward said.
In accordance with the state education reform laws, this school year will also see new systems put in place for teacher evaluation. After last year’s changes to collective bargaining, the school district is focusing on introducing a plan for student performance and parent evaluations to factor into teacher paychecks. Another arm of the education reform package — an increased use of technology — won’t come around this year.
“That hasn’t reach us yet,’ Woodward said. “That might be next year.”
As for Woodward himself, his first school year as superintendent has launched to a good start. With his family settling nicely into the community, he’s excited to see the education year begin in earnest.
“It was so great to see all the students in their classrooms today,” he said. “This is what it’s all about.”