Enrollment drops at county schools
Enrollment in Warren County Schools has dropped by 152 students over the past two years, a decline which if it continues could result in teacher layoffs and a reduction in state funds.
“We’re not laying off anyone now or planning any layoffs. Our numbers are still good,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale. “We have a drop, but it’s not a drastic drop. Of course if the trend continues there will be less teaching positions available.”
In all, the county’s student enrollment has decreased from 6,304 to 6,152. Seeing the biggest drop is Centertown Elementary, which has seen enrollment decline by almost 100 students over the past three years. Other schools, including Eastside, Bobby Ray and Irving College, have actually seen increases.
Various factors, or a combination thereof, could be responsible for the overall county decline, Hale said. Possibilities include the school board’s recent decision to no longer allow out-of-county students to register here and an increased number of local parents choosing home schooling or private school.
Another possible explanation, he noted, is the economic downturn. He cited recent factory closings, including the current layoffs at A.O. Smith, coupled with the fact that 46 percent of county students are now participating in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program as evidence to this. There is strong evidence to suggest the lack of local job prospects may be causing many parents, with their children in tow, to search for employment elsewhere.
Hale noted, however, that the current drop in enrollment is common as periodic drops (and increases) of between 100 and 200 students have occurred since the 1980s.
In fact, he said, student enrollment has remained relatively steady, in the neighborhood of 6,100 to 6,200 students, for the past 20 years. This despite an over 15 percent increase in Warren County’s population in the ’90s.
School officials hope such demographic data will be taken into account by whichever engineering firm the school board commissions this summer to complete a master plan which will guide the system’s short and long-range facility planning.