Date: Fri 09-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

school-board-enrollement

Full Text:

Enrollment Figures Shatter Projections

BY MICHELE HOGAN

nrollment figures for Newtown Public Schools are in, and they have surged past

even the highest enrollment projections of the Newtown school district.

A total of 4,515 students are enrolled, up 256 from the last official

enrollment report, prepared May 1, 1998. (This last enrollment report showed

that 4,259 students attending Newtown public schools.)

This is a six percent increase in student enrollment over last year. Although

an increase had been expected, school officials had not expected it to be so

great. The official enrollment figures on October 1 are 81 students higher

than projected in the "middle" enrollment projection prepared by Focus

Consulting Associates for the Board of Education. Actual enrollment was higher

by 20 than the consultants' "high" enrollment projection.

In a presentation before the school board last year, Dr Bruce Bothwell of

Focus Consulting said he believed that actual enrollment would fall between

the middle and high projections. In the past, the firm's projections have been

accurate to within two percent of actual enrollment.

Dr Reed, superintendent of schools, said, "We've never been off this much."

The State of Connecticut also fell 75 students short in its projections for

Newtown enrollment.

Since the Bothwell report was not available until December of last year, which

was after local principals were expected to have their school budgets near

completion, Robert Kuklis, assistant superintendent, prepared a projected

enrollment to be used for each school's budget preparations. This enrollment

projection fell short by 101 students.

Elementary schools are educating 50 more students than they budgeted for; the

middle school, 30 more; and the high school, 21 more.

The Good News

Kindergarten enrollment (375) was actually slightly lower than projected by

either Bothwell (383-391) or the state (382).

Since both elementary schools and the middle school are already crowded, and

the high school still has room for more students, it was a relief to the

Newtown administration that the new students were not all coming in with years

of elementary and middle grade education ahead of them.

Nevertheless, the elementary schools and the middle school have had to

rearrange instruction areas to create new classrooms.

A committee headed by NMS Principal Les Weintraub and Middle Gate Principal

Gary Hexom is working on plans for a new fifth-sixth grade school, which would

relieve crowding at both the elementary and middle school level, by taking one

grade from each.