FD public schools see slight enrollment drop
Official: Preliminary figures show loss of 28.6 studentsBy JESSE HELLING, Messenger staff writer
The Fort Dodge school district will see a slight enrollment decrease in the 2008-2009 school year.
Preliminary figures show the district will have 28.6 fewer students, though Superintendent Linda Brock said that those numbers could change.
Brock presented the figures to members of the Fort Dodge school board Monday.
In all, enrollment stands at 3,954.5 students, down from last year's 3,983.1. Fractions of students refer to children who attend the district less than full-time, many of whom receive services not offered in their home districts.
"We're down a few more than we hoped for," Brock said.
She stressed, however, that the numbers were, as yet, a "ball-park figure."
"There are still nine students in question that we're not sure about," Brock said.
Enrollments help determine the district's budget and how much state funding will be received. This year's enrollment will be used to determine the budget for the 2009-2010 school year.
General district trends since 1980 have been toward fewer students.
However, this year's decline is less than has been seen in some recent years.
During the 1980-1981 school year, for example, the district counted 5,654 students. By 1990, enrollment stood at 4,704. Ten years later, the district had 4,285 students.
Projected enrollment for the 2011-2012 school year is 3,850 students - 104.5 fewer than the current school year.
In other business, the board received information on a recent school bus inspection.
All 38 of the district's buses were rated in the safest possible condition.
During inspections, which are conducted twice per year by the state, every bus is assessed on 252 separate items.
Contact Jesse Helling at (515) 573-2141 or jhelling@messengernews.net
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Anderson
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10-17-08 10:16 PM
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Would be interesting if Helling were to look into what total K-12 enrollment is doing in ALL Ft Dodge schools so one could ascertain what the school population trend is as a whole. Also county by county in this region.
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DHFERGUS
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10-14-08 12:41 AM
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I am not at all suprised that all buses were rated to be in excellent safe condition. I want to commend the transportation dept. They do an excellent job at keeping the buses in tip top shape. They take the responsibility of our kids safety very seriously. They have logged a lot of miles without any major incidents.My thanks to the drivers, mechanics, and all staff in the transportation dept.
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