Presenter reports Mount Lebanon School District enrollment essentially steady; special education caseload rises

A presenter for the Mount Lebanon School District told the board that total enrollment for the current school year is essentially stable, with five more students than last year but declines at each level: 18 fewer elementary students, 44 fewer middle school students and 21 fewer high school students.

The presenter also highlighted several recent rankings for the district and high school. "The Mount Lebanon School District was ranked number 2 as best school districts in Allegheny County," the presenter said, and the high school was listed among the top public high schools in the Pittsburgh area and Pennsylvania.

The district outlined its strategic-plan timeline: a community survey open through Nov. 9, survey findings presented in December, focus groups in January–February, planning work sessions in February–April, a draft in May and a board vote requested in June.

Special education enrollment rose by 21 students compared with last year, the presenter said, and the district reported one fewer student in outside placement compared with last year but 16 more outside placements than in 2014–15. The presenter gave a broad cost range for outside-placement tuition of about $17,000 to $62,000 per student.

On gifted education, the presenter said there were four more gifted-education students than last year, with increases at elementary and middle school levels and a decrease at the high school level; overall there are 77 more gifted students than in 2014–15.

The presenter's remarks about 504 plans in the transcript are inconsistent: the speaker first described an increase and then said there was a decrease compared with last year. The transcript does report there are 238 more 504-plan students than in 2014–15; however, the year-to-year net change from last school year is unclear in the record.

English-language-learner enrollment rose by 12 students versus last year (one fewer elementary, 11 more middle school and two more high school students), and there are 124 more ELL students than in 2014–15, the presenter said.

The presenter reported a decrease of nine students selecting cyber or charter schools compared with last year (one fewer elementary, two fewer middle school and six fewer high school students). Of 39 current cyber/charter students, 26 are non-special-ed with an estimated cost of about $17,000 each and 13 are special-ed with an estimated cost of about $32,000 each.

Participation in Parkway West Career & Technical Center has increased over the last 10 years, the presenter said. The most-attended programs for Mount Lebanon students are veterinary assistant and welding and fabrication, followed by carpentry, culinary arts, HVAC and auto body repair. The presenter reported a NOCTI pass rate of 94% last year; prior to COVID testing interruptions the pass rate had been 100% in some years.

The presenter closed by inviting questions from the board.