New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
For first time in years, Shelton public school enrollment climbs
SHELTON — The school district is seeing an increased overall enrollment — albeit minor — for the first time in years, according to administrators.
Through the end of January, the school district has 4,469 total students, an increase of 56 from the 2020-21 school year. Over the past seven years, the city’s overall school enrollment has dropped by 458, but special education, a costly and unpredictable part of the annual budget, continues to grow.
For the 2021-22 school year, the special education enrollment stands at 775, which is 17.34 percent of the total enrollment.
Those special education student totals have risen six of the past seven years. The low point was 2014-15, when there were 623 special education students, 12.64 percent of the total population.
The uptick in enrollment comes after five years of the district eliminating positions. Since 2017-18, the district has eliminated 76.5 positions, while creating only 12.5, leaving a net loss of 64 jobs in that time.
Superintendent Ken Saranich said the eliminated positions included teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, tutors, custodial staff and secretaries.
From 2017-18 to 2019-20, the district eliminated 43 positions, adding none. The 2020-21 fiscal year saw the elimination of 23.5 positions, with only two added. Last year, Saranich said the district eliminated 10 positions, but it was the first time in years that no layoffs were needed.
Job eliminations were the result of
budgetary constraints, he said. Before last year, the Board of Education budget remained at $72.7 million for two consecutive years, even as contractual obligations forced annual increases to board expenditures.
Last year, the Board of Aldermenapproved budget included an increase that bumped the education budget to $72.9 million.
Administrators presented the updated enrollment numbers to the school board during the fourth budget workshop on Monday. The board is preparing a final budget proposal that could be voted on Thursday and then presented to Mayor Mark Lauretti.