District demographer: enrollment still declining; study will inform possible school closures and redistricting

Ross Haber, the district’s contracted demographer, told the Sachem Board of Education on Aug. 27 that the district is in the data-collection and analysis phase of a comprehensive enrollment and facilities study that will produce 5- and 10-year projections and feed options for attendance-zone changes or school closures. Haber said projections combine cohort survival (six-year historical grade-by-grade movement), live-birth-based kindergarten projections and adjustments for new housing. “This is a comprehensive study. It's taking a look at enrollment projections, demographics of the community, capacities of the schools and the existing attendance zones,” Haber said. He emphasized that the project had not yet produced conclusions and that the team has not proposed school closings at this stage. Why it matters: Haber presented…