Parents press board to bolster enrollment and staffing at Tennyson Elementary; superintendent says school will remain open

Parents of Tennyson Elementary students told the Warrick County School Corp Board of School Trustees on April 14 that district actions and rumors have depressed enrollment and hurt the small school's staffing stability, and they urged the district to pursue enrollment growth rather than staff reductions.

At the start of the patron concerns period, a man who identified himself as Mr. Boswell said he has raised the district boundary and bus-route topic previously and asked the board to give Tennyson “more flexibility to increase the overall number of kids and fully use the school and staff.” He provided cost-per-student figures, saying, “Cost per student considering instructional cost at Tennyson is $17,495. That's based on 60 kids enrolled there this year. Next year's enrollment is less at 50 kids. So that's going to increase the cost per student to almost 21,000.” He added that adding about 20 students would reduce the cost per pupil to about $15,000 per student.

A parent who identified herself as Mrs. Boswell thanked the board for keeping the school open and said the central office’s messaging has lowered enrollment. She said central-office actions have prompted rumors that have discouraged families from enrolling and asked the district to publish clear messaging that Tennyson will remain open. Mrs. Boswell identified herself as “a substitute, a coach, a volunteer, the vice president of TPT” and urged the board to avoid staffing moves that would remove the school’s most experienced teachers.

Superintendent Dr. Julia Redmond responded during the reports portion of the meeting that the district will keep Tennyson’s doors open. She said scheduling options developed with the school’s principal allowed the district to preserve a student-centered schedule with fewer staff, and she cited a projected enrollment for next year “around 50 students” with five full‑time staff plus a principal. Dr. Redmond said the district expects to maintain about a 10-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and is exploring busing changes and transfer initiatives to increase enrollment.

Dr. Redmond said the district sent direct communications to current families through the student information system and by letter and that staff will continue to look at ways to support enrollment growth. She framed staffing adjustments as difficult but necessary options the district had examined to keep the school open while balancing costs.

The board did not take a formal vote on long-term staffing changes at the meeting; the district’s statements describe program and schedule options already developed by central office and school principals and commit to further outreach and busing reviews.