Ames Sees Drop in Student Enrollment

About 55 less students attending this year could mean fewer teachers in the next school year.

Or it might not.

“Well, it's possible,” said Ames Superintendent Tim Taylor. “It's a little early in the game.”

The drop in certified enrollment, which is used to determine the district's operating budget, would mean the district will have $328,000 less to work with next year.

“You have to start thinking about what you are not going to do,” Taylor said.

Budgeting for the next year will begin in January, but Taylor will present the enrollment numbers at the Ames school board meeting at 6:30 p.m. tonight.

The certified enrollment is weighted. Preschool students, for example, count as .5 of a student. Taylor said 30 of the 55 certified student enrollment loss was due to the change in prekindergarten weighting alone. The district will have about the same number of students in the preK program, but less state money to serve them.

True enrollment numbers appear pretty flat. According to information in the school board packet, there are two fewer students in Ames elementary schools, seven fewer kids in middle school and two fewer students in high school today than in the fall of 2010.

School board members will also discuss the district's facilities tonight. Members have been talking about a construction plan to repair and replace the district's aging schools. The money used for building projects are separate from the operating budget. One fund can't be used to help with the other.