Wayzata updates enrollment outreach, projects 13,251 students and reports 79 teacher hires so far

Acting Chair Heidi Kater opened the Wayzata Public School District work session by asking staff to present the district’s student enrollment and staffing outlook for the 2025–26 school year. The superintendent and welcome‑center staff said they are doing summer outreach, cleaning enrollment data, and monitoring daily applications as the district prepares staffing plans.

The Welcome Center’s Jenny Ebert, director of community education, said the office is increasing accessibility through appointments, walk‑ins, phone and text support and online forms to find families earlier in the summer. Judy Aachoku of the Welcome Center described targeted outreach at apartment complexes in Sunset Hill and Birchview attendance areas and at community events: “Some of the apartment complex managers shared with us that they'd be happy to share with their community that we were coming in advance so that if they had any questions, they would know to expect our presence there.” Staff said they also attended the Somali Cultural Festival and are coordinating Night to Unite events on Aug. 5.

Ebert and Aachoku said the Welcome Center is expanding collection of census‑style records for infants through age 5 within the district to improve kindergarten planning. The district uses Skyward as its student database, Jotform for online intake, and monthly birth records from Hennepin County to identify new families; staff said they are also cleaning addresses and tracking bounced mail to update records.

Human resources and finance staff described how daily enrollment checks through July and August feed staffing plans. Executive Director of Human Resources Dave Lutz said the district is projecting 13,251 students for 2025–26 and is continuing to receive applications: “So we're up to 79, as of Friday and counting.” Lutz provided a staffing breakdown of the 79 hires: approximately 35 elementary/early‑learning, 17 middle school, seven high school and about 20 special‑services positions. He said most hires replace retirements or resignations and that roughly 10 licensed positions remain open, many of them part‑time or long‑term reserve roles.

Lutz and district staff said elementary enrollment remains the largest area of uncertainty. District leaders met with elementary principals July 23 to review trends and planned a follow‑up two weeks later; they said additional late kindergarten enrollments are typical and will influence whether new sections or internal reassignments are needed. Staff told the board they aim to staff conservatively so buildings start the year functioning while retaining flexibility for adjustments after school begins.

District staff also described direct supports for incoming kindergarten families: a bus‑ride and information night at Wayzata High School on Aug. 7; a Jump Start to K camp Aug. 18–19 funded by a Partners for Healthy Kids grant (free for incoming kindergarteners); and a full‑day incoming kindergarten summer preschool at the Early Learning School with about 121 students this summer. Jump Start was offered at six elementary sites this year (up from four in 2024) because of space constraints tied to construction at some schools.

Staff said they are restoring some previously reduced elementary math‑intervention FTE and reintroducing intervention positions this year while maintaining lower staffing targets adopted last year. That, they said, increases direct student support in addition to classroom teachers. Lutz told the board the district typically hires about 100 new teachers each year when accounting for reserves, retirements, resignations and net new positions, and he expected the district could reach a similar scale by fall.

Board members asked for a fall snapshot showing final new‑hire counts and clearer ties between hires and anticipated effects on class size and intervention supports. Lutz agreed to provide a near‑term update after hiring completes and before the school year starts.

Ending: District staff emphasized that enrollment remains a moving target and that the Welcome Center’s outreach and improved census tracking are intended to reduce summer uncertainty, help families access events and services, and give schools earlier data for final staffing decisions.