Forest Hills superintendent presents 10-year enrollment projections; board flags preschool capacity

Superintendent Larry Hope told the Forest Hills Board that a district-commissioned Futurethink study projects modest declines in total enrollment over the next decade but notable growth in preschool and at some individual schools, raising questions about where the district will house and staff younger students.

"We need to know what our trends are, what's happening," Hope said while walking the board through the study's methodology, which uses historical enrollments, birth rates, housing permits and survival ratios to produce school-by-school projections. The presentation showed preschool rising by a net 25 students over ten years, Sherwood and Summit with measurable gains, and other schools such as Wilson declining by roughly 13 students.

Board members pressed for specifics on capacity and timing. One board member summarized the projection as a district decline of 334 students over 10 years, which averages to fewer than four students per school per year, and asked whether brief declines warrant structural changes. Hope said the preschool trend is the most urgent operational issue because Sherwood has already repurposed half of its media center to accommodate preschool, and that a preschool task force will explore options including site changes or split configurations.

The board agreed to gather more facility-level detail and to review staff recommendations in committees before pursuing major changes. Hope said the district will present a facilities options draft and recommended re-running demographic work every five years to capture shifting trends.