Monticello school board warned enrollment dip could cut about $150,000 from revenue
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Summary
District officials reported enrollment is below projections — kindergarten down about 25 students, overall enrollment roughly 3,977 versus a projection of 3,996 — and said the shortfall could reduce revenue by about $150,000; staff will present a formal 10/1 count update in fall.
Tina Burkholder, Monticello Public Schools' director of business services, told the school board on Sept. 8 that the district is tracking slightly below its enrollment projection for the year and that the gap could affect revenue.
"Our enrollment projection was gonna be 3,996 students, and we're at 3,977," Burkholder said. She said kindergarten is down about 25 students and grades 1–5 are down roughly nine students overall. Middle school enrollment is close to projection, and the high school shows a large number of students dual-enrolled with the district’s online program.
Burkholder estimated the shortfall could be "a $150,000 impact to our revenue budget," noting that state funding calculations use the official 10/1 head count. She said the district will present a more detailed 10/1 enrollment analysis in October or November.
Board members asked whether the decline could be tied to lower birth rates, migration or a new private school in nearby Big Lake. Burkholder said the district is tracking moves in its student information system but that records take time to update and that multiple factors (birth rates, migration and school choice) contribute.
Burkholder and principals clarified counting conventions: some students are dual-enrolled between school and the online program and co-op program enrollments are tracked separately. She also noted that kindergarten is especially difficult to predict because preschool enrollment and family choices vary year to year.
The board did not take action on the enrollment figures; staff will return with a full 10/1 report later this fall.
