Student enrollment has changed this year in the Oconto Falls School District, but whether it’s up or down depends on how you crunch the numbers.
The school district grew by 11 students, according to one of several summaries presented at the School Board meeting Monday. Enrollment increased from 1,813 students in September 2012 to 1,824 in September 2013.
The official count for the Department of Public Instruction is made on the third Friday of September and determines the state aid provided to school districts. With a slight enrollment increase, the district will receive a bit more aid than expected, which in turn will reduce the tax levy.
Original estimates projected a state aid reduction of $328,000, or 3 percent, for the 2013-14 school year. To offset the loss, the district budget included an additional $289,000, a 5 percent levy increase, in the general fund.
School officials also anticipated a slight decrease in equalized value, but the values actually increased 0.04 percent, up to $802.5 million from $802.2 million a year ago. This also is expected to decrease the tax levy.
School Superintendent Dave Polashek said several factors need to be worked through before the tax levy and mill rate are finalized. The School Board will meet Oct. 28 to certify the levy. At the annual meeting in August, residents approved an $8.5 million tax levy, and the tax rate was calculated at $10.68 per $1,000 of equalized value, a 3.77 percent increase over last year’s rate of $10.29.
Although the official count shows an increase of 11 students, when determined by another method — actual bodies in the desks — school enrollment dropped by about 50 students. A head count done Sept. 20 set enrollment at 1,778 students, down from 1,825 in September 2012.
Polashek attributed the difference in enrollment totals to the way the state factors in open enrollment numbers.
The district lost more students to other schools than it attracted through open enrollment for the 2013-14 school year: 130 enrolled in and 176 enrolled out, according to figures released by the school district.
Howard-Suamico gained the most students; 54 are attending from the Oconto Falls School District. Of this total, 11 are in the 4-year-old kindergarten program at day care centers in the Howard-Suamico School District. Another 46 students attend in Pulaski, 16 in Lena and 14 in Coleman.
Students from Oconto make up the highest number of transfers into the Oconto Falls School District, with 39 enrolled. Lena sent 28, Gillett 24 and Pulaski 17.
Polashek said many of the departing open-enrollment students never attended school in the district, so losing them has less of an effect.
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