Region 15 superintendent: district at enrollment trough now; modest growth expected, staffing added to meet needs

Superintendent Smith told the Regional School District 15 Board of Education on Jan. 3 that the district’s official October 1 enrollment snapshot — the Average Daily Membership used by the state of Connecticut — shows the district at the bottom of a recent enrollment trough but projects a small increase over the next decade.

The superintendent said the district will use the October 1 count to drive town funding responsibilities and state and federal reporting. "That enrollment...on that day called our ADM...it comes official on October 1," Smith said, adding the number drives "anything that involved the size of the district." He noted the district’s demographers show elementary enrollment rising modestly over the next five years after the current low point.

The district presented a 48-slide enrollment report that the superintendent said will be posted to the district website. The presentation included staffing and demographic details: a net reduction of three elementary…