Schools Prepare for Increased Enrollment

The population boom that hit Shakopee in the past decade hasn't stopped booming.

Shakopee Public Schools grew by 1,200 students between 2006 and 2011, and demographers are projecting an additional 1,300 students in the next four years. District officials are scrambling to accommodate the increase. Shakopee has seen a 69 percent climb in population since 2000, and more than 7,000 students are currently enrolled in local schools.

“We are a growing community,” said Cristina Oxtra, communications coordinator with the district. “We are growing steadily and there are a lot of changes going on.”

The most public response to the growth is the opening of Jackson Elementary this coming fall. Replacing the older Pearson Elementary, Jackson will house kindergarteners through fifth-graders. Pearson will go empty for the coming months, but will later open as a school for sixth-graders.

Those changes are most directly affecting teachers and principals, who are trying to keep services high and class sizes low. 

“Yes, we’ve hired more teachers at the middle school,” John-Paul Jacobson, principal of Shakopee Middle School, said. “We have to make sure that we have enough teachers to make sure that class sizes are the same size.”

The district is directing new teachers to math, science and reading, along with other core classes. In addition, an expansion in after-school activities such as sports and multi-cultural groups is a priority for Jacobson.

“We want to make sure that (students) have an adult that they connect with during the day,” he said.

Incoming Shakopee Schools superintendent Rod Thompson expects to contend with the population growth for the next several years, but he sees the increase in students as positive. Being proactive in accommodating the growth is key to the city's success, Thompson said.  

"Shakopee citizens have an intense desire to improve student achievement and to make sure that our students are at the very top of the south metro and the state,” he said. “There are a lot of great people that are in place to look at the data—what has happened in the past, where we are now and where we want to be in the future.”

Jacobson also welcomes the changes.

“I wouldn’t characterize it as an issue—it’s just what we’re working with,” he said. “It’s actually a pretty good opportunity for us.”

As for how long the boom will continue, Jacobson said, “That is the million-dollar question.”