Enrollment becomes school-wide concern
November 10, 2016
The average high school experience involves close friends, funny moments and most important of all, academics. However, can a student be able to experience this if the school they attend is slowly declining in its resources?
There are many contributing factors as to why the school currently has low enrollment. Some of these factors is the very little promotion of the school and the limited resources we have. We do not have nearly as many advanced classes as other high schools.
With a low number of all students currently enrolled, this means cuts in critical areas of the school budget, including teachers. This makes class sizes larger and more hectic to teach and grade.
The school receives funding from Title 1, which is a federal funding source, to help keep the school supplied with any things that might be needed. Yet the amount of funding received is dependent on the number of students enrolled. Due to the low enrollment, funding has lowered which prevents the school from providing certain things. One of which is no new technology for all students to access like iPads or computers for every class.
With all kinds of cuts happening, this means no new supplies for teachers which can restrict their teaching, setting students back in their curriculum.
The school has made an effort to work around the low-funding. This year, the currently cut music department returned because students need a visual or performing arts class for their A-G graduation requirements. It also helps to provide a gateway for those students who express themselves through art.
As a way of recruiting future freshman from local middle schools to attend our school, Magnet Coordinator Nicole Bootel took current students out to speak at different middle schools about how great the school really is.
We do think this type of promotion will help out by introducing our school to middle schoolers broadening their choices and possibly considering us as a choice. We would begin to draw in more students which increases our enrollment, greatly contributing to the school budget.
Although with these major flaws in the school’s ability to stay afloat, we applaud all the effort done to help solve this concerning situation and hope it soon becomes a problem in the past.