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Committee hears first enrollment decline in 13 years; district plans homeschool outreach to boost numbers
Summary
Administrators told the budget committee enrollment fell this year for the first time in 13 years and outlined a marketing and outreach plan to recruit homeschooled and distance-learning students back into district programs, including storefront outreach, monthly activities in outlying communities and partial-day tuition arrangements where allowed.
Klamath County School District administrators told the budget committee the district experienced its first enrollment decline in 13 years and outlined a strategy to recruit students — including those enrolled in charter or ESD homeschool programs — back into district classes and activities.
S2 (Agency official) presented enrollment trends since 2020, showing a long run of gains that reversed in the most recent year. “So this is the first time we've had a drop in enrollment. 13 years,” S2 said. The district intends to take a conservative projection approach for next year (S2 estimated 6,750–6,800 pupils) and has already identified staffing reductions through attrition of about six and a half positions to align payroll with student counts.
Committee members and staff discussed the geography of transfers: several in-town elementary schools are at or near capacity while outlying schools have room. S2 noted a housing development near Bricksner (72 units now, room for 205 later) that could alter capacity dynamics, but added that new low-income housing typically shifts existing local residents rather than adding large numbers of new children to district rolls.
To address the decline, S2 described a homeschool marketing task force that will recruit from families enrolled with Great Basin Homeschool, Southern Oregon ESD homeschool registrations, and charter-online programs. The outreach plan includes monthly community activities in Gearhart and Gilchrist, potential gas cards to subsidize travel, and district-hosted programs (band, PE, ag classes) that can register homeschool students for partial-day participation when state rules allow.
S4 (Committee member) clarified that if a student is officially registered with an online charter, the charter receives state funds; in those cases the district may charge tuition and accept partial-day enrollments in accordance with state rules. S3 confirmed those distinctions and said the district will pursue outreach while respecting the separate funding streams.
What’s next: staff will use enrollment data to update budget projections and continue recruitment efforts; the marketing task force will report back with outreach metrics.
