Bend-LaPine reports kindergarten shortfall, overall enrollment roughly 108 students below budget projection

BEND, Ore. — The Bend-LaPine Schools district reported early enrollment figures Tuesday showing the district is about 108 students below the number used in this year—s budget, with the largest single shortfall concentrated in kindergarten.

Dan Emerson, the district—s chief financial officer, told the board that kindergarten enrollment is "about 50 or 60 students" below projection and that the district is "108 below what we projected from the budget." He said high schools are offsetting part of that shortfall with an increase of roughly 86 students above projections, but cautioned the board the net shortfall will affect how some revenue streams are calculated.

"As of September 9, you guys should all have this handout — I think the key thing to know is that we're a 108 below what we projected from the budget," Emerson said during the Sept. 9 meeting.

Why it matters: Oregon—s state school fund and other allocations are based on weighted average daily membership and other state-reportable measures, Emerson and Superintendent Dr. Steven Cook said. Cook told the board these preliminary figures are important because they form the basis for state funding calculations and that the district will present the more detailed, weighted data next month.

Board questions and next steps: Directors asked for demographic and program-level disaggregation, including race and ethnicity and whether Latine families are delaying or declining enrollment. Director Kena Chadwick asked specifically, "I'm curious if y'all have data cuts by race and ethnicity. I'm specifically concerned about our Latine community members, and I'm curious if the current administration is having any impact on them enrolling their kids." Emerson said the district has demographic data and will work with Flow Analytics to analyze the trends and report back.

Emerson also said the district will provide a clearer breakdown of online (full-time) and alternative course registrations (ACRs) as part of the October enrollment update. "We can bring that back in the October report as part of that in-depth look," Emerson said.

What the district will do: The CFO said staff are monitoring enrollment closely, working with analytics partners and expect some additional students to arrive in the coming weeks. He reiterated that a fuller, state-reportable enrollment picture (including weighted measures) will be presented to the board in October.

Provenance: The report and figures were presented by Dan Emerson to the board (topic introduced in the meeting at SEG 426; presentation and Q&A continue through SEG 523 and follow-up questioning through SEG 603).