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Kennett superintendent: choir trip to China at risk after UNESCO funding pull; district reports August enrollment down about 120 students
Summary
Superintendent Hector Rizzo Saunders said a planned choir trip to China is at risk after the withdrawal of UNESCO underwriting; the district also reported an August enrollment decline of about 120 students to 3,750.
Superintendent Hector Rizzo Saunders told the Kennett Consolidated School District Board on Sept. 8 that a planned choir trip to China is at risk because the organization the district expected to underwrite travel financing has been affected by the current U.S. administration's decision to withdraw from UNESCO.
Rizzo Saunders said the district estimates the trip would cost between $3,500 and $5,000 per student and that about 60 students were expected to participate. He said the district will not be able to proceed in November as planned and that their UNESCO contact, Eddie Tang, was pursuing alternate funding options; no new funding source was finalized at the meeting.
On enrollment, Treasurer Mark Tracy reported the district's August headcount was about 120 students lower than the same time last year, putting enrollment at 3,750 students. Tracy and other administrators said August figures are provisional; the district typically refines counts after the 10-day reporting window. Tracy highlighted that kindergarten numbers have fallen from roughly 305 last year to about 260 this August and that the district commissioned a demographer to study two developments'Parkside (about 190 homes) and a White Clay Creek development'to understand future enrollment impacts. He said a fuller enrollment analysis will be presented at the finance committee meeting in October.
Why it matters: The choir trip presented a major out-of-pocket cost for participating families and an educational opportunity for students; its funding uncertainty may affect planning and fundraising. The enrollment decline affects per-pupil funding and long-term facilities planning, particularly while the district completes two new elementary-school projects.
Ending: District staff said they will provide updates on enrollment numbers after the October finance committee meeting and report back if alternate funding for the choir trip is secured.
