Coronado Unified opens year about 87–100 students short; district outlines budget effect and staffing adjustments
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Summary
Deputy Superintendent Drew Salamanca reported the district opened the year with 2,691 students, about 87 fewer than last year, and later said another 13 students left; staff described the enrollment drop, its effect on Average Daily Attendance funding, interdistrict transfer trends and some staff realignments after a director resignation.
Deputy Superintendent Drew Salamanca told the board the district opened the school year with 2,691 students, down from 2,778 at the same point last year, a drop of 87 students; Salamanca later said the district lost an additional 13 students after opening day and called the roughly 100‑student drop significant for district finances.
“Last school year, we opened the school year with 27 78 students, and this year we opened with 26 91. That's a decrease of 87 students,” Salamanca said. He added that he had asked for updated numbers and “we've lost another 13 students from that enrollment,” noting student mobility and summer moves as possible explanations.
District staff said the decline affects funding because California school districts are funded based on Average Daily Attendance (ADA) or related formulas such as prior‑year ADA or a three‑year rolling average. Salamanca said the district had budgeted to open at about 2,750 students; a rough estimate in discussion placed the revenue loss from a 100‑student drop near $1.2 million before smoothing rules apply, though staff told trustees the district will use the three‑year rolling average or prior year ADA formulas to mitigate the immediate hit.
Trustees and staff discussed interdistrict transfers as a factor. Salamanca said the district received roughly 500 interdistrict transfer applications last year and closer to 300 this year, and suggested some neighboring districts showed greater reluctance to release transfers. He also said the board’s spring guidance to be strategic about transfers—focusing on secondary students and filling available space—shaped this year’s intake.
Enrollment declines have prompted staffing and organizational adjustments. Salamanca said the district reduced management and support staff FTE by about 1.01 and reallocated responsibilities after the director of special programs separated from the district. He said the district has added some site‑level support where needed (for example, adding a teacher at Silver Strand Elementary) and will continue making strategic staffing decisions as enrollment trends firm up.
Salamanca and trustees said staff will provide more detailed budget impacts at the September board meeting and at first interim in December. The board took no separate vote on enrollment figures; trustees asked for further breakdowns by site and grade and staff agreed to supply additional detail.
