Prospect Mountain open‑enrollment, per‑pupil costs draw detailed questioning at Alton public hearing

School officials and selectmen used the public hearing to walk through the Alton School District’s budget mechanics and explain a new open‑enrollment approach at Prospect Mountain High School that is intended to bolster enrollment and preserve course offerings.

Heidi, a district administrator, told the hearing that per‑pupil spending rises when enrollment falls because many expenses are fixed: "It's a simple calculation where it's our total cost divided by our enrollment and because our enrollment is going down and our expenses are pretty level, the per pupil does increase." She explained that small changes in enrollment (for example, a loss of 8 students spread across grades) do not necessarily reduce staffing because staffing is organized by grade and program needs.

On open enrollment, Heidi said the…