Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Enrollment Up At Farmington Schools
SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES $19.7 MILLION BUDGET
FARMINGTON — Trying to pin down student enrollment is tough at the beginning of the year but Farmington school Superintendent Bryan Law said it’s possible the district’s student numbers could be as high as 2,500 this year.
“We have students coming and going daily,” Law told Farmington School Board members last week at their Aug. 22 meeting. “Our students are up. There’s no question our numbers are up.”
The school’s enrollment has hovered around 2,400 for the past three years but right now, enrollment is up by about 80 students. Law admitted Farmington normally starts higher at the beginning of the year and levels out as the school year goes on.
“Numbers always come down but never has it been this high,” Law said.
Michelle Beeks with the administration office said Farmington accepted 75 students through the school choice law this year. That’s the most students since she’s been working in the office for 14 years.
School districts turn in their first official enrollment figures to the state on Oct. 1 and that will be an important date for Farmington, Law said. In certain grades, such as kindergarten and third grade, classes are full. If more students show up in those grades, the schools may have to hire additional
teachers. Ledbetter Intermediate is the fullest as far as the overall building.
“It creates some concerns,” Law said but added, “That is a wonderful thing to have people wanting to come into your school district. People are purchasing homes so they can come to school here and that’s exciting.”
Student enrollment will be an important part of the discussion, Law said, as principals and other administrators discuss future construction projects. He said the district has committed to completing Phase 3 of the high school campus but also must look at improvements needed at other buildings to meet student growth.
In other action, school board members approved a $19.7 million budget for the 2016-17 school year.
Projected revenues include $ 5.5 million from property taxes, $11.8 million from state aid based on student population and almost $ 500,000 from the national school lunch program.
Expenditures include $9.6 million for the teacher salary fund, $ 2.8 million for certified and classified benefits, $ 1.4 million for operating expenditures and $1.55 million for salaries for classified employees. The district’s annual debt service for 2016-17 will be almost $2 million.
Law said the district is conservative when projecting revenues and tries to stay on target for budgeted expenses.
Construction for Phase 2 of the high school is on schedule, according to reports given by Hight Jackson Associates and Crossland Construction. The school will have to readvertise for bids for kitchen equipment for the new high school. The district only received one bid and it was higher than estimated.