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Enrollment down to just over 3,000; superintendent flags attrition, hiring freeze and possible RIFs
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Jensen said district enrollment has declined from about 3,300 in 2021 to just over 3,000, reported elementary class-size targets have been met, and described an informal hiring freeze and early-retirement outreach with a possibility of reduction-in-force if declines continue.
Superintendent Dr. Jensen briefed the board on enrollment and class-size trends and how the district plans to adjust staffing.
Dr. Jensen showed four years of October-count data indicating a decline from roughly 3,300 students in 2021 to just over 3,000 in the most recent fall count. He said the board's elementary class-size targets (20 students per classroom) have largely been met and credited that progress, but warned that continued enrollment declines could force the district to further adjust staffing. "We're trending downward," Dr. Jensen said, noting an "unofficial hiring freeze" the district has used to absorb FTEs through attrition and indicating the employment services director will present early-retirement options to staff.
Board members asked whether homeschooling, charter enrollment or migration explain the drop; staff said they had not seen obvious spikes in homeschooling and that more granular data would be needed. Dr. Jensen said the district is monitoring kindergarten cohorts and noted smaller incoming kindergarten classes compared with exiting classes as a clear driver of the decline.
