Lots and lots of kids Lots and lots of kids (September 09, 2005)

Teachers hired and classes switched to accommodate more than expected numbers of students
by Rebecca Guyon

As the first week of classes wrapped up, the district reported a total attendance of 14,481 students, about 100 more than it anticipated, said Rich Puppione, director of pupil services. Of that number, 6,028 students are in the elementary grades, 3,467 in middle school and 4,986 in high school. These tabulations give the district a clearer idea of how many students are enrolled and where it needs to shift resources.

The high school grades are still the largest in the district with this year's sophomore class coming in as the largest single class in the district at 1,267 students. The other high school grades are not far behind as the freshman and junior classes each have more than 1,200 students. The outgoing senior class is the smallest at the high school level with 1,128 students. Middle school enrollment is comparable to the high school levels with 1,189 students in the eighth grade, followed by 1,126 in seventh and 1,089 in sixth. The smallest class this year is the kindergarten, which has a total enrollment of 905. These numbers are in line with last year's demographer's report, which showed continually expanding high school and dwindling elementary numbers.

"The high schools will be large for three to four years," Puppione said. "But it will decrease as you see these other (smaller) classes move forward."

After the first three days of school, the district finalizes the enrollment numbers because at that point students who have not yet arrived are considered truant, Puppione said. Although, the district never really has a solid count of how many students are in attendance until October when it is required to report the number to the state, he added.

With more students, the district had to add new class sections and hire two new teachers. At Mohr Elementary School, a new teacher was added to teach a K/1 combination class and at Walnut Grove Elementary School a new teacher was added to open another fifth grade class. Changes were also made at Alisal Elementary School where a second grade class changed to a combination second and third grade classroom. Foothill High School added five new classes to its roster in science, math and English, as well as Amador which added another English section, but made that change in early August.

Enrollment numbers are essential for the district to determine how many teachers it hires and where they are placed because it must follow specific, state-mandated ratios for how many full-time teachers are on campus per student, Puppione said. The district is required to have a 20:1 student-teacher ratio in grades K-3 and a 33:1 ratio for grades 4-5. At the middle school level, the ratios are 26:1 and for the high school it is 27:1. These ratios do not apply to class size, Puppione said. Changes in the hiring and placement of classified staff, such as counselors, will not be made until the final October numbers are solidified, Puppione said.

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