Enrollment down slightly, Somers school board plans for the future
Enrollment numbers are slightly down for the Lakeside-Somers school district this year when compared to the last year’s enrollment. Somers School District 29 board of trustees reviewed the current tuition totals and discussed ways to prepare for the future during their regular meeting on Sept. 18.
“We have fewer seventh- and eighth-grade students, that will impact us,” Superintendent Paul Jenkins said. “We will do the numbers again in February and we will have a projection of how much that will impact us next year. We get the most (state funding) from seventh- and eighth-grade students.”
As of Sept. 12, Lakeside Elementary has 375 students, down from 397 on Sept. 14, 2011. Somers Middle School is up this year with 204 students as of Sept. 12, compared to 186 on Sept. 14, 2011. This brings the overall district enrollment change to a decrease of four students.
The district currently has three students enrolled at Flathead Crossroads, a school for students who require special accommodations such as one-on-one instruction for emotional disorders. The district also renewed their contract with that program during their board meeting last week.
According to district clerk Diane Fetterhoff the cost of tuitition is $12,000 per student and is placed in the budget forecast.
“If we were to have them here it would cost a lot more because they would need another teacher and a one-on-one (aide),” Fetterhoff said.
The board also discussed how they would like to address possible future changes in the schools such as allowing students to bring their own technology to class and how those devices could be implemented.
In other school District 29 news:
• Delane Tuffy spoke to the board about her experience on the schools’ dragon boat racing team earlier this month. She said it was a positive teambuilding experience for the teachers and thought they were the only elementary and middle school team competing in the race.
• The board approved a special education one-to-one student aide position with Brooke Sampson. Sampson’s position with the district is commensurate with the student’s continued enrollment within the district.
• The next Lakeside-Somers school district board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at Somers Middle School.