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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2017)
Wednesday, October 11, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Continued from page 1 ADM (average daily member- ship — a number that does not correspond exactly to per- student funding, since some students are counted differ- ently for funding purposes). Coming in 12 students below projections means the dis- trict would come up short in expected state funding to the tune of roughly $90,576. Yet, the numbers can shift, even in the middle of the year. Superintendent Curt Scholl cautioned that it is too early to assess any impact on budget or staffing. “We do not know if this will be the total impact, how- ever,” he said. “Last year we gained 25 students after the first couple months of school, which drastically reduced the financial impact of the enroll- ment drop.” Numbers at Sisters High School are actually up, with nine additional students added since the end of the 2016-17 school year, for a total of 441 across four grades. Sisters Middle School is down just slightly, with 6.5 fewer stu- dents, totaling 321. Sisters Elementary School saw the biggest drop in student popu- lation, 16 down from the end of last year, and falling 36 stu- dents below projections. School board member Jay Wilkins noted that projec- tions for the size of the sec- ond-grade class were way off, which skewed the numbers. “The projections going for- ward have to be more realis- tic,” he said. Sisters Elementary School currently has 307 students enrolled. Enrollment in Sisters schools has been on a declin- ing trend for several years. Because each family’s cir- cumstance is different and a handful of families with sev- eral children can affect num- bers significantly in a small district, it’s hard to pinpoint exact causes of an enroll- ment decline. Lack of housing and economic opportunities for young families is widely considered to be a significant factor. “I think the drop in ele- mentary enrollment says more about our community struggle of affordable housing and family-wage-earning jobs,” said Scholl. “This tends to have a bigger impact on young families. These are the factors I would attribute the decline to in Sisters.” And, while Sisters offers a variety of innovative pro- grams, there are other inno- vative programs online and through charter academies that compete for Sisters’ students. Home-schooling also plays a role. The environment for tra- ditional “brick-and-mortar” schools is much more compet- itive today than in years past. “It used to be that if you lived in this zip code, you went to this school,” Wilkins said. Now, families, as education consumers, have options. Wilkins notes that there are 96 eligible students in the Sisters School District who go to school elsewhere or in a non-SSD format. As of September, he calculates that 40 students are home- schooled; 20 attend the Baker Web Academy; 16 attend Redmond schools (some of those because it’s geo- graphically closer); 11 attend Black Butte School in Camp Sherman; and four go to Bend for school. Sisters receives 67 inter- district transfers — 51 from Redmond; one from Black Butte; and 15 from Bend. Sisters doesn’t have access to numbers from Redmond Proficiency Academy, which also competes for students. Wilkins says that families choose other alternatives for a variety of reasons. “I think there’s been some bad customer service experi- ences in the past,” he said. Some students have demanding pursuits outside of school and other options are more flexible. “Our response to that is being much more student-cen- tered,” Wilkins said. “We may not be able to [do everything] for everybody — but can we work with students?” Sisters also offers online education and can offer some flexibility to students who are traveling or pursuing other activities. “They can be an Outlaw,” Wilkins said. “How do we emphasize that, fine-tune it, and repeat that?” Wilkins is serving with fel- low board member Stephen King and Superintendent Scholl on a committee tasked to “get after the marketing program on a more formal basis.” Wilkins believes the district should focus first on bringing back into the fold students who live here already, but who aren’t enrolled in SSD. Then the district can work on attracting other students in, and work with the City of Sisters and other entities on the structural issues with hous- ing and employment opportu- nities that put a damper on the ability of young families to move here and make a go of it in Sisters schools. The Peaks at Pine Meadow Village Graphic courtesy: www.pateydesigns.com ENROLLMENT: Many students live in district but don’t attend 29 Four units under construction. 1,200-1,400+ sq. ft., single-car garage, energy effi cient with a modern edge. $369,000-$379,000. Exclusively offered by… Sisters HomeLand Realty Ali Mayea & Jill A Jarkesy 541-588-6007 | 401 E. Main Ave. alimayea@bendcable.com Exerience the Beaut of Aut mn at The Ranch! Carpentry • Tile • Drywall • Painting 541-390-0769 | Sisters Owned | CCB#209860 Superior Escrow Execution Ultimate Service Stop by and visit with Tiana Van Landuyt & Shelley Marsh. 220 S. Pine St., Ste. 102 | 541-548-9180 Happy Acres Pumpkin Giveaway and Coloring Contest! Three New Golf Course Listings! GLAZE MEADOW 300 GOLF HOME 13 Starry nights from the deck hot tub~ Ideal location on the 7th Fairway~ $849,000 • mls 201709327 $779,000 • mls 201709572 Sunday, October 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. at our downtown Sisters office! GLAZE MEADOW 301 This home defi nes elegance~ $987,000 • mls 201710090 We’re your neighbors... Stroll over after you’re done at Harvest Fair. Exclusive Onsite Realtor – and over half our agents live here! Don Bowler • Gary Yoder • Dick Howells • Phil Arends • Carol Dye • Joe Dye • Ross Kennedy Debbie Brown/Broker 282 Cedar St., Sisters (Behind Hop-n-Brew) 541-419-8156 Lic#200511204 Come see us! Open from 9 to 5 daily, adjacent to the Lodge Pool Complex 541-595-3838 | View all our listings at howellsrealtygroup.com
