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Enrollment down ~3,000 since 2016; district staff levels hold steady, prompting reallocation talks
Summary
Board heard a multi‑year enrollment decline alongside staffing data showing roughly 2,317 filled positions in 2025, prompting discussion of redeployment, vacancies and concerns about nurse coverage and service continuity.
Waukegan CUSD 60 budget presenters told the board the district has lost about 3,000 students since 2016 and now projects roughly 13,300 students for the coming year. At the same time, district staffing filled positions were reported at about 2,317 for 2025, a level that drew questions about alignment between staffing and enrollment.
Budget presenter Nick Chen presented the enrollment and staffing charts and said the district moved from about 16,000 students in 2016 to about 13,300 in 2025, a decline of roughly 3,000. He also presented the corresponding staffing counts; “going all the way to the present day to 2025 ... that is 2,317,” Chen said.
Board members asked whether the district appears ‘‘overstaffed’’ relative to enrollment and how administrators plan to pivot without a disruptive reduction in force. Administrators said they are conducting weekly reviews of staffing, retirements and contract usage and aim to redeploy employees where student needs remain high rather than use immediate layoffs.
A board member raised a specific safety concern about nursing coverage, noting the district’s published count of 18.4 full‑time equivalent nurses across 22 school sites and asking the administration for a school‑level breakdown of filled versus vacant nurse positions. The administration said the 18.4 figure represents filled, prorated positions and that contracted nurses and itinerant coverage are used in some buildings; staff agreed to return with detailed vacancy and contract counts so trustees and the public can see where itinerant coverage is used and where a full‑time nurse is assigned.
Administrators described a multi‑pronged approach to manage the staffing‑enrollment mismatch: (1) prioritize direct student services (reading/math specialists, counselors, social‑emotional supports) for retention of student outcomes; (2) redeploy certificated and classified personnel where possible as retirements or reassignments occur; and (3) examine contracted services for consolidation as permanent hiring increases.
Superintendent and cabinet members emphasized the board’s stated preference to avoid abrupt layoffs where feasible, citing the morale impact and potential negative effects on student services. Staff said principals are examining grade‑level staffing, class sections and possible internal transfers to match classroom needs and preserve specialists and extracurricular programming.
