School Board Sets Conservative Enrollment Numbers

— by Margie Doyle —

The Orcas Island School District set a conservative enrollment number of 730 students for the 2018-19 school year at its monthly board meeting on Thursday, March 1.

The full board — Chair Janet Brownell, Greg White, John Fleming, Josh Culp and Diane Boerstler — debated the numbers, up from the 725 that Business Manager Keith Whitaker and District Superintendent advocated, but down from the 737 and 740 that Boerstler and Culp pushed for.

Whitaker said, “It’s always better to stay on the conservative side” when estimating enrollment. The board and administrators recalled that they felt they were being conservative last year when they estimated enrollment at 750, but that in September 2017, enrollment began at 720.

Current enrollment is 755. Factors influencing the conservative number, said Whitaker, include:

• historic patterns show the district’s enrollment figures are lower in September than they were in the previous June. “How steadily we’ll build up gives me pause”;
• the state legislature and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is contemplating changes to the ALE funding for the district’s OASIS school (“Will we be able to continue to count on ALE funding?”)
• unknown rules regarding reporting by the district. “When the rules are released, our district has to comply.”

As always, the OISC board faces an early date to determine enrollment assumption for development of 18-19 budget. They may adjust the assumptions before the May date to inform current certificated staff(teachers)  if their contracts will be renewed for the 2018-19 school year.

In other matters, the school board unanimously approved contracts with Liz LeRoy for Project Management onf the Phase III 2017 Bond/Levy Project Management; and with Mahlum Architects for Phase III 2017 Bond/Levy architectural services.

The board also approved donations from the community:
$6,745.00 from Orcas Island Education Foundation (OIEF) for AP Computer Science;
$4,465,00 from OIEF for Culinary Arts Grant;
$500.00 from Janet Alderton to The Environmental Club for water filling station.

On Tuesday, March 6, the school district hosted a sparsely-attended Open House on the project on March 6, and LeRoy will present a cost update at the end of April . The presentation is available at the school district website (May take awhile to upload) https://orcasislandschools.org/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=8771745