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Superintendent reports drop in kindergarten enrollment, outlines READ Act funding and potential school-closure timeline
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Hile told the Albert Lea Public School District board that K–12 enrollment fell to 2,842 from 2,880 and that kindergarten enrollment is down to 163 (from 184 at the same point last year). He reviewed READ Act and literacy funding and outlined a transportation and facilities analysis tied to possible school-closure planning.
Superintendent Dr. Hile told the board the district ended the year with 2,880 K–12 students and is currently at 2,842, with kindergarten enrollment at 163 compared with 184 at the same point last year. He said the district is monitoring enrollment weekly and will send reminders to families to complete paperwork to try to recover some registrations.
Dr. Hile provided a detailed overview of literacy funding under the READ Act, noting past one-time allocations used for curriculum and training: "one-time funds was depleted last year and that was 133,000 that we used for Wit & Wisdom," and that the READ Act teacher compensation funds funded about $120,000 in professional development. He described how literacy-aid calculations use third-grade proficiency and fourth-grade growth on the reading MCA averaged across administrations and multiplied by $530 to determine per-student allowances.
On facilities and potential consolidation, Dr. Hile said the district has been reviewing facility utilization (about 75–77% capacity at many buildings), deferred maintenance and roofing priorities, ADA access and long-term staffing and operational costs. He has engaged Albert Lea Bus to analyze routing, ride times and costs if a building were closed. Dr. Hile said the district would continue work over the summer, hold school-community meetings beginning in October, and "ultimately I think we should be trying to get to a decision around late November December sometime" to allow time for preparation and coordination with MDE and staff.
Why it matters: Enrollment trends affect staffing, program placement and budgeting. Lower kindergarten enrollment can reduce state funding tied to counts and may change long-term facility needs. The superintendent tied literacy funding and accountability to test-proficiency measures that determine aid calculations.
What was not decided: The board received the report; no final decisions on closing or consolidating buildings were made at this meeting. The superintendent described next steps and timelines for community engagement.
Key numbers and clarifications: Current district enrollment 2,842 (K–12); kindergarten 163 versus 184 at this time last year; past one-time READ Act funds cited as $133,000 for curriculum and about $120,000 for teacher-compensation-related professional development. A precise current-year literacy-aid dollar figure in the transcript was unclear and is noted as not specified in meeting commentary.
