Spring-Ford Enrollment Numbers Up at Western Center According to JOC

The Joint Operating Committee for the met for its monthly meeting on Monday night to discuss back to school issues and welcomed in new principal Robert Wenek, as well as Dr. David Goodin, to his first meeting "in office."

The issue of enrollment, which has been an with the Spring-Ford board of education, did not specifically resonate throughout the meeting until Spring-Ford representative Edward Dressler brought it to the table. It was then pointed out in the agenda packet that Spring-Ford's enrollment currently stands at 141 students, which is a 17-percent increase from June 7's 121 students.

This increase is actually deflated by further investigating the numbers. Spring-Ford lost 24 students since June 7 due to withdraw for various reasons, including: 10 for high school credit issues, nine for change in career plans, three for moving out of the district, one for changing to cyber school and one for changing to the Spring-Ford work program.

These numbers had not yet been revealed before the .

Enrollment overall at the school also showed a 17-percent increase from June 7, with 449 enrolled across the three districts. Currently, students are enrolled in the following areas:

• Auto Technology - 52
• Commercial Art - 28
• Computer Information Sysytems - 19
• Collision Repair - 25
• Cosmetology - 59
• Carpentry - 29
• Culinary Arts - 41
• Diesel Technology - 20
• Early Child Care - 18
• Environmental Design - 19
• Electrical - 23
• Health Science/Health Academy - 50
• Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning - 18
• Metal Technology - 14
• Protective Services - 34

Kathy Bryant of Upper Providence, who frequently attends Spring-Ford school board meetings, was in attendance and voiced her concerns about the brand new dental facilities not being open. She told the board flat out that this was "fiscally irresponsible."

"For the second year in a row you’ve got this beautiful dental facility that your’e not using," Bryant said. "As one of thousands of taxpaying members of these school districts – completely unacceptable. If you do not have the 16 to 18-year-olds to be in that dental lab, then you need to put out a request for bid for schools that currently teach dental hygienist certification. If it’s not going to be during the school day because you have concerns about that, I totally understand. But, after 3:00, that dental facility should be open."

Administrative Director Joseph Greb responded to Bryant saying that he would look into doing something like this for the time being. Greb also explained separately that he spoke with a few other schools about making their dental program successful and was told the center could approach the issue two ways.

The first way would be to do what they are doing now, whcih is to advertise the program to the students as is, which is difficult because there is no teacher or curriculum in place until the school year begins. The second way would be to grow the program from within.

"Since health, science and dental science are all teaching safety and sanitation in year one, we would mold these programs together to make one curriculum for all first year students to take," Greb said. "Then, at the end of the year, they would have the opportunity to choose which path they'd like to go, with the dental program being one of them."

According to Greb, this is the plan for next year.

It was also asked if Montgomery County Community College was renting the facilities. Currently, the auto shop, HVAC and welding/machining facilities are all in use by MCCC. In the spring, they plan to add more programs, including culinary arts and "handyman-like" studies.

Greb also said that in the summer, police departments and karate tournaments are main examples of different entities renting the school's space to regain capital.

The JOC meets again on the first Monday of October and November, but will not be meeting at all in December.