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District enrollment down by 63 students; business services outlines fiscal snapshot

Brainerd Public Schools Board of Education · December 11, 2025
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Summary

Director Lohr reported K–12 enrollment declined by 63 students since the start of the school year and noted construction-fund and post‑employment benefit shifts tied to project timing and retiree counts. Board discussed transient housing, online options and asked for trend monitoring.

Director Lohr presented the district enrollment and financial snapshot. K–12 enrollment is down 63 students compared with the start of the year; Lohr said the typical change at this point averages about 36 students, so this decline is larger than usual. She flagged reasons offered by staff: housing transitions, families moving for employment, and some families moving to online enrollment or homeschooling.

Lohr also reviewed the financial packet, saying the building construction fund is lower in percent compared with prior year because of fewer active projects and that post‑employment benefits are down due to fewer retirees in the current period. She showed an analytics chart comparing district spending by department against peer-district averages and noted the district planned to continue monitoring enrollment and its budget implications.

Board members asked whether withdrawal forms capture reasons for leaving and whether district online options (Brainerd Online) might retain students. Administration said the withdrawal form has a comment field but is not always completed; they will monitor next-month trends and report back at year-end.