Hamlet PK‑8 principal reports enrollment dip, higher special‑education share and facility needs

Lori Huffman, principal of Hamlet PK‑8, presented the school’s yearly report to the Lincoln County Board of Education on Jan. 20, 2026, reporting enrollment, attendance and academic priorities and listing specific facility needs.

Huffman said enrollment in the report was 424 and that “our special ed population has risen from 27% last year to 30%,” a shift she attributed to new students arriving with IEPs. She gave the school’s current daily attendance rate as 92.3% and said the chronic‑absence rate had climbed from about 24.94% at the end of 2025 to roughly 27% during the most recent benchmark period.

Huffman reviewed student‑discipline statistics, saying the school recorded 67 out‑of‑school suspensions in the 2024 school year (up six from the previous year) and that discipline referrals had increased, with vaping cited as an ongoing concern in the middle grades.

To address learning gaps, Huffman described intervention strategies: Title I teachers run small‑group interventions in K–3, the school recently added a middle‑school interventionist through Mountain State who pulls students daily for ELA and math support in eighth and ninth periods, and teachers use I‑Ready benchmark data to target reteaching. “We divide our students into small groups,” Huffman said, noting teachers and intervention staff meet to refine instruction based on data.

Academic goals for 2025–26 include a 5‑percentage‑point proficiency “wildly important goal.” Huffman said math proficiency has improved (citing a prior 4% gain) while ELA performance is being prioritized for recovery; current reported proficiency rates were roughly in the high‑30s to mid‑40s depending on subject and grade.

Huffman also summarized curricular offerings and supports: the middle school runs Discover Your Future and Project Lead the Way CTE programs, Spanish is provided to seventh and eighth graders “mandated by the state,” and the school maintains partnerships that include Bobcat Broadcasting (an ELA extension), M3T fellows supporting math, and 31 Apple‑certified teachers.

On facilities, she listed completed upgrades (playground, sound system and gym projector, HVAC work, middle‑school window tinting) and needs still under discussion: replacement of dated bathroom sinks and hardware, painting, repair or replacement of fencing between the elementary and middle school she called a safety concern, and spring blacktop work in the elementary parking lot. Huffman said a neighboring apartment building had been offered to the school for roughly $120,000 by the McKay family and that purchase and demolition could provide evening pickup parking relief but would entail additional demolition expenses.

On safety, Huffman described building cameras, an upgraded substitute ID policy, drills and window clings to limit visibility into vestibules; she said the superintendent had arranged with the sheriff’s department for a deputy to be present about two hours per day to increase on‑site law‑enforcement presence.

Board members asked questions about enrollment trends and parking; Huffman said enrollment typically rises at the beginning and end of the school year and that she and the leadership team will pursue staggered bus and pickup options to improve safety and traffic flow. Members thanked Huffman for the report and commended staff work.

The board received the report with no formal action requested; facility and parking items were described as needs under ongoing discussion and potential future budget considerations.