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Superintendent reports 87-student enrollment drop and rising share attending other schools; staff explain superintendent agreements
Summary
At the April 9 RSU 05 meeting, the superintendent said district enrollment declined by 87 students and the share of students attending schools outside the district rose to 17.88%. Board members asked for grade-level breakdowns; staff said much of the cross-enrollment data is collected manually by district staff who call other schools.
RSU 05’s superintendent told the board on April 9 that the district’s overall enrollment fell by 87 students and that the percentage of students attending schools outside the district rose to 17.88% this year. Board members asked for more detailed, grade-level breakdowns; staff said that level of detail is not currently available in the manual data collection process.
The superintendent said the percentage of students attending other schools increased to 17.88% this year and noted there are 18 additional students attending other schools compared with the prior reporting period. The superintendent also said the district recorded a net decline of 87 students in total enrollment.
Board member Jean asked whether superintendent agreements are annual; the superintendent confirmed that parents must request a superintendent’s agreement each year and that the receiving and sending superintendents must both approve those requests. The superintendent explained staff review attendance, behavior and academic performance when deciding whether to approve repeated requests for superintendent agreements.
Staff described the data-collection process as “extremely manual.” The superintendent said staff member Ginny contacts other schools to gather cross-enrollment numbers; there is not a ready-made district comparison report. When asked about students at St. Dom’s, the superintendent said the district sees only one student listed and that the school plans to close its high school at the end of the year, which could affect future enrollment patterns.
The superintendent also said homeschool counts are difficult to track: the district saw fewer registered homeschool students this year but could not provide a precise grade-level split at the meeting.
No formal actions were taken on enrollment or transfer policies at the meeting; board members asked staff to provide more detailed breakdowns if possible.
