USD 383 Board of Education

Jan. 26, 2011
Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer

Regular meeting:
Board members discussed Gov. Brownback's State of the State and education funding. The governor had proposed to reduce state per pupil aid by $75 for this year and reduce it by $137 for next year. The school district will be able to receive additional funding for new facility weighting for the construction projects completed so far. The second military enrollment count date in February might also help the district's funding, but the second count date is set to expire in 2013.

Dr. Bob Seymour, Assoc. Superintendent, presented the board with a report about enrollment projections. The report estimated that by 2015-16, the district's enrollment will be 7,100 - 7,200 students (current enrollment is 5,900). The projected increase in enrollment is due to an increase in births, an increase in the number of students retained (i.e. not moving out of the district), and an increase in the number of students moving into the district. The enrollment projections were very close to what the board used when determining additional space needs with the construction projects. The report did not include estimates for students moving into the district due to NBAF.

John Armbrust, director of the Governor's Military Council, also provided the board with information about military numbers and how the district might be impacted. Armbrust said Ft. Riley will be at "full nest" by 2012 with all units at Ft. Riley and none deployed, which will be about 18,000 troops. The region could see as many as 3,000 more families, with possibly 420 of those families living in Manhattan and Ogden. Of the 420 families, about 40% will have two children, which could bring 340 children to the district.